Ecclesiastes 2 — ASV
2Verse 1I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.Verse 2I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?Verse 3I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.Verse 4I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;Verse 5I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;Verse 6I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;Verse 7I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem;Verse 8I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts.Verse 9So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.Verse 10And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.Verse 11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.Verse 12And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.Verse 13Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.Verse 14The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.Verse 15Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.Verse 16For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!Verse 17So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.Verse 18And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.Verse 19And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.Verse 20Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.Verse 21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.Verse 22For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?Verse 23For all his days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.Verse 24There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.Verse 25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?Verse 26For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.