Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 2

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 I said to myself, "Come, now, let me try you with pleasure and the enjoyment of good things." But behold, this too was vanity.	1 I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity.
2 Of laughter I said: "Mad!" and of mirth: "What good does this do?"	2 Laughter I counted error: and to mirth I said: Why art thou vainly deceived?
3 I thought of beguiling my senses with wine, though my mind was concerned with wisdom, and of taking up folly, until I should understand what is best for men to do under the heavens during the limited days of their life.	3 I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might turn my mind to wisdom, and might avoid folly, till I might see what was profitable for the children of men: and what they ought to do under the sun, all the days of their life.
4 I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards;	4 I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,
5 I made gardens and parks, and set out in them fruit trees of all sorts.	5 I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,
6 And I constructed for myself reservoirs to water a flourishing woodland.	6 And I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood of the young trees,
7 I acquired male and female slaves, and slaves were born in my house. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem.	7 I got me menservants, and maidservants, and had a great family: and herds of oxen, and great flocks of sheep, above all that were before me in Jerusalem:
8 I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and provinces. I got for myself male and female singers and all human luxuries.	8 I heaped together for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings, and provinces: I made me singing men, and singing women, and the delights of the sons of men, cups and vessels to serve to pour out wine:
9 I became great, and I stored up more than all others before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, stayed with me.	9 And I surpassed in riches all that were before me in Jerusalem: my wisdom also remained with me.
10 Nothing that my eyes desired did I deny them, nor did I deprive myself of any joy, but my heart rejoiced in the fruit of all my toil. This was my share for all my toil.	10 And whatsoever my eyes desired, I refused them not: and I withheld not my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and delighting itself in the things which I had prepared: and esteemed this my portion, to make use of my own labour.
11 But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the toil at which I had taken such pains, behold! all was vanity and a chase after wind, with nothing gained under the sun.	11 And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun.
12 For what will the man do who is to come after the king? What men have already done! I went on to the consideration of wisdom, madness and folly.	12 I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I, that he can follow the King his maker?)
13 And I saw that wisdom has the advantage over folly as much as light has the advantage over darkness.	13 And I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as much as light differeth from darkness.
14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.Yet I knew that one lot befalls both of them.	14 The eyes of a wise man are in his head: the fool walketh in darkness: and I learned that they were to die both alike.
15 So I said to myself, if the fool's lot is to befall me also, why then should I be wise? Where is the profit for me? And I concluded in my heart that this too is vanity.	15 And I said in my heart: If the death of the fool and mine shall be one, what doth it avail me, that I have applied myself more to the study of wisdom? And speaking with my own mind, I perceived that this also was vanity.
16 Neither of the wise man nor of the fool will there be an abiding remembrance, for in days to come both will have been forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies as well as the fool!	16 For there shall be no remembrance of the wise no more than of the fool for ever, and the times to come shall cover all things together with oblivion: the learned dieth in like manner as the unlearned.
17 Therefore I loathed life, since for me the work that is done under the sun is evil; for all is vanity and a chase after wind.	17 And therefore I was weary of my life, when I saw that all things under the sun are evil, and all vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 And I detested all the fruits of my labor under the sun, because I must leave them to a man who is to come after me.	18 Again I hated all my application wherewith I had earnestly laboured under the sun, being like to have an heir after me,
19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruits of my wise labor under the sun. This also is vanity.	19 Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?
20 So my feelings turned to despair of all the fruits of my labor under the sun.	20 Wherefore I left off and my heart renounced labouring any more under the sun.
21 For here is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and to another, who has not labored over it, he must leave his property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune.	21 For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.
22 For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?	22 For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he bath been tormented under the sun?
23 All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.	23 All his days axe full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he doth not rest in mind: and is not this vanity?
24 There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and provide himself with good things by his labors. Even this, I realized, is from the hand of God.	24 Is it not better to eat and drink, and to shew his soul good things of his labours? and this is from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat or drink apart from him?	25 Who shall so feast and abound with delights as I?
26 For to whatever man he sees fit he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering possessions to be given to whatever man God sees fit. This also is vanity and a chase after wind.	26 God hath given to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he hath given vexation, and superfluous care, to heap up and to gather together, and to give it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanity, and a fruitless solicitude of the mind.