The Lantern

Ecclesiastes2

The Futility of Pleasure

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness — and see good.” And see, this also was breath.

Of laughter I said, “Mad!” and of gladness, “What does this do?”

I searched in my heart to draw my flesh with wine — my heart still leading with wisdom — and to take hold of folly, until I should see what is good for the sons of man that they should do under the heavens the number of the days of their lives.

I made my deeds great: I built for myself houses; I planted for myself vineyards.

I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.

I made for myself pools of water, to water from them a forest sprouting trees.

I bought male servants and maidservants, and I had sons of the house; also I had much cattle, herd and flock, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

I gathered for myself also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and the provinces. I made for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights of the sons of man — a mistress and mistresses.

And I became great and added more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom stood by me.

And all that my eyes asked I did not withhold from them; I did not keep my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad from all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.

And I turned to all my deeds that my hands had done, and to the labor that I had labored to do — and see, everything was breath and chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

The Wise and the Foolish

And I turned to see wisdom and madness and folly. For what is the man who comes after the king? What they have already done.

And I saw, I myself, that there is profit to wisdom over folly, like the profit of light over darkness.

The wise man — his eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I also knew that one happening happens to them all.

And I said in my heart, “As the happening of the fool, so it will happen to me also. And why then was I so wise?” And I spoke in my heart that this also is breath.

For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool forever, since in the days already coming everything is forgotten. And how does the wise man die — with the fool!

And I hated life, for the deed that is done under the sun was evil upon me, for everything is breath and chasing after wind.

The Futility of Work

And I hated all my labor that I labor at under the sun, that I must leave it to the man who will be after me.

And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will rule over all my labor that I labored at and acted wisely in under the sun. This also is breath.

And I turned to make my heart despair over all the labor that I labored at under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, and to a man who has not labored at it he gives it as his portion. This also is breath and a great evil.

For what does a man have in all his labor and in the striving of his heart, at which he labors under the sun?

For all his days are pains, and his business is vexation; also in the night his heart does not lie down. This also is breath.

There is nothing good in a man that he should eat and drink and let his soul see good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

For who can eat and who can hurry apart from me?

For to a man who is good before him he has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and heaping up, to give to the one who is good before God. This also is breath and chasing after wind.