Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 2

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 forth and overflow with delights, and I will enjoy good things.” And I saw that this, too, is emptiness.
2 Of laughter I said: "Mad!" and of mirth: "What good does this do?"	2 Laughter, I considered an error. And to rejoicing, I said: “Why are you being deceived, to no purpose?”
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 decided in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, so that I might bring my mind to wisdom, and turn away from foolishness, until I see what is useful for the sons of men, and what they ought to do under the sun, during the number of the days of their life.
4 I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards;	4 I magnified my works. I built houses for myself, and I 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 I planted them with trees of every kind.
6 And I constructed for myself reservoirs to water a flourishing woodland.	6 And I dug out fishponds of water, so that I might irrigate the forest of growing 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 obtained men and women servants, and I had a great family, as well as herds of cattle and great flocks of sheep, beyond all who 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 amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and governors. I chose men and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, bowls and pitchers for the purpose of pouring 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 opulence all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also persevered 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 all that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. Neither did I prohibit my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and from amusing itself in the things that I had prepared. And I regarded this as my share, as if I were making use of my own labors.
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 But when I turned myself toward all the works that my hands had made, and to the labors in which I had perspired to no purpose, I saw emptiness and affliction of the soul in all things, and that nothing is permanent 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 continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. “What is man,” I said, “that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?”
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 surpasses foolishness, so much so that they differ as much as light 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. A foolish man walks in darkness. Yet I learned that one would pass away like the other.
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 both the foolish and myself will be one, how does it benefit me, if I have given myself more thoroughly to the work of wisdom?” And as I was speaking within my own mind, I perceived that this, too, is emptiness.
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 will not be a remembrance in perpetuity of the wise, nor of the foolish. And the future times will cover everything together, with oblivion. The learned die in a manner similar to 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, because of this, my life wearied me, since I saw that everything under the sun is evil, and everything is empty and an affliction of the 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 detested all my efforts, by which I had earnestly labored under the sun, to be taken up by 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 though I know not whether he will be wise or foolish. And yet he will have power over my labors, in which I have toiled and been anxious. And is there anything else so empty?
20 So my feelings turned to despair of all the fruits of my labor under the sun.	20 Therefore, I ceased, and my heart renounced further laboring 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 someone labors in wisdom, and doctrine, and prudence, he leaves behind what he has obtained to one who is idle. So this, too, is emptiness and a great burden.
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 how can a man benefit from all his labor and affliction of spirit, by which he has 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 have been filled with sorrows and hardships; neither does he rest his mind, even in the night. And is this not emptiness?
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 show his soul the good things of his labors? And this is from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat or drink apart from him?	25 So who will feast and overflow with delights as much as I have?
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 has given, to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and rejoicing. But to the sinner, he has given affliction and needless worrying, so as to add, and to gather, and to deliver, to him who has pleased God. But this, too, is emptiness and a hollow worrying of the mind.