1:12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹ 

1:13 I decided ²  to carefully ³  and thoroughly examine ⁴ 

all that has been accomplished on earth. ⁵ 

I concluded: ⁶  God has given people ⁷  a burdensome task ⁸ 

that keeps them ⁹  occupied. ¹⁰ 

1:14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man ¹¹  on earth, ¹² 

and I concluded: Everything ¹³  he has accomplished ¹⁴  is futile ¹⁵  – like chasing the wind! ¹⁶ 

1:15 What is bent ¹⁷  cannot be straightened, ¹⁸ 

and what is missing ¹⁹  cannot be supplied. ²⁰ 

1:16 I thought to myself, ²¹ 

“I have become much wiser ²²  than any of my predecessors who ruled ²³  over Jerusalem; ²⁴ 

I ²⁵  have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.” ²⁶ 

1:17 So I decided ²⁷  to discern the benefit of ²⁸  wisdom and knowledge over ²⁹  foolish behavior and ideas; ³⁰ 

however, I concluded ³¹  that even ³²  this endeavor ³³  is like ³⁴  trying to chase the wind! ³⁵ 

1:18 For with great wisdom comes ³⁶  great frustration;

whoever increases his ³⁷  knowledge merely ³⁸  increases his ³⁹  heartache.

2:1

I thought to myself, ⁴⁰ 

“Come now, ⁴¹  I will try ⁴²  self-indulgent pleasure ⁴³  to see ⁴⁴  if it is worthwhile.” ⁴⁵ 

But I found ⁴⁶  that it also is futile. ⁴⁷ 

2:2 I said of partying, ⁴⁸  “It is folly,”

and of self-indulgent pleasure, ⁴⁹  “It accomplishes nothing!” ⁵⁰ 

2:3 I thought deeply ⁵¹  about the effects of ⁵²  indulging ⁵³  myself ⁵⁴  with wine

(all the while ⁵⁵  my mind was guiding me ⁵⁶  with wisdom) ⁵⁷ 

and the effects of ⁵⁸  behaving foolishly, ⁵⁹ 

so that ⁶⁰  I might discover what is profitable ⁶¹ 

for people ⁶²  to do on earth ⁶³  during the few days ⁶⁴  of their lives.

2:4 I increased my possessions: ⁶⁵ 

I built houses for myself; ⁶⁶ 

I planted vineyards for myself.

2:5 I designed ⁶⁷  royal gardens ⁶⁸  and parks ⁶⁹  for myself,

and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

2:6 I constructed pools of water for myself,

to irrigate my grove ⁷⁰  of flourishing trees.

2:7 I purchased male and female slaves,

and I owned slaves who were born in my house; ⁷¹ 

I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks –

than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem. ⁷² 

2:8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself,

as well as valuable treasures ⁷³  taken from kingdoms and provinces. ⁷⁴ 

I acquired male singers and female singers for myself,

and what gives a man sensual delight ⁷⁵  – a harem of beautiful concubines! ⁷⁶ 

2:9 So ⁷⁷  I was far wealthier ⁷⁸  than all my predecessors in Jerusalem,

yet I maintained my objectivity: ⁷⁹ 

2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; ⁸⁰ 

I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. ⁸¹ 

So all my accomplishments gave me joy; ⁸² 

this was my reward for all my effort. ⁸³ 

2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished ⁸⁴ 

and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, ⁸⁵ 

I concluded: ⁸⁶  “All these ⁸⁷  achievements and possessions ⁸⁸  are ultimately ⁸⁹  profitless ⁹⁰  –

like chasing the wind!

There is nothing gained ⁹¹  from them ⁹²  on earth.” ⁹³ 

2:12 Next, I decided to consider ⁹⁴  wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. ⁹⁵ 

For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king ⁹⁶  has already done?

2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, ⁹⁷ 

just as light is preferable to darkness:

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, ⁹⁸  but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate ⁹⁹  happens to them both. ¹⁰⁰ 

2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ¹⁰¹ 

Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ¹⁰²  wise?” ¹⁰³ 

So I lamented to myself, ¹⁰⁴ 

“The benefits of wisdom ¹⁰⁵  are ultimately ¹⁰⁶  meaningless!”

2:16 For the wise man, like ¹⁰⁷  the fool, will not be remembered for very long, ¹⁰⁸ 

because ¹⁰⁹  in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. ¹¹⁰ 

Alas, ¹¹¹  the wise man dies – just like ¹¹²  the fool!

2:17 So I loathed ¹¹³  life ¹¹⁴  because what

happens ¹¹⁵  on earth ¹¹⁶  seems awful to me;

for all the benefits of wisdom ¹¹⁷  are futile – like chasing the wind.

2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of ¹¹⁸  my effort, ¹¹⁹ 

for which I worked so hard ¹²⁰  on earth, ¹²¹ 

because ¹²²  I must leave it ¹²³  behind ¹²⁴  in the hands of my successor. ¹²⁵ 

2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?

Yet ¹²⁶  he will be master over all the fruit of ¹²⁷  my labor ¹²⁸ 

for which I worked so wisely ¹²⁹  on earth! ¹³⁰ 

This also is futile!

2:20 So I began to despair ¹³¹  about all the fruit of ¹³²  my labor ¹³³ 

for which I worked so hard ¹³⁴  on earth. ¹³⁵ 

2:21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;

however, he must hand over ¹³⁶  the fruit of his labor ¹³⁷  as an inheritance ¹³⁸ 

to someone else who did not work for it.

This also is futile, and an awful injustice! ¹³⁹ 

2:22 What does a man acquire from all his labor

and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? ¹⁴⁰ 

2:23 For all day long ¹⁴¹  his work produces pain and frustration, ¹⁴² 

and even at night his mind cannot relax! ¹⁴³ 

This also is futile!

2:24 There is nothing better for ¹⁴⁴  people ¹⁴⁵  than ¹⁴⁶  to eat and drink,

and to find enjoyment ¹⁴⁷  in their ¹⁴⁸  work.

I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment ¹⁴⁹  comes from God. ¹⁵⁰ 

2:25 For no one ¹⁵¹  can eat and drink ¹⁵² 

or experience joy ¹⁵³  apart from him. ¹⁵⁴ 

2:26 For to the one who pleases him, ¹⁵⁵  God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,

but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing ¹⁵⁶  wealth ¹⁵⁷  –

only to give ¹⁵⁸  it ¹⁵⁹  to the one who pleases God.

This ¹⁶⁰  task of the wicked ¹⁶¹  is futile – like chasing the wind!