4. I accomplished some great things:I built houses for myself.I planted vineyards for myself.
5. I made gardens and parks for myself.I planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6. I made pools to water the forest of growing trees.
7. I bought male and female slaves.In addition, slaves were born in my household.I owned more herds and flocksthan anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8. I also gathered silver and gold for myself.I gathered the treasures of kings and provinces.I provided myself with male and female singersand the pleasures men have with one concubine after another.
9. So I grew richer than anyone in Jerusalem before me. Yet, my wisdom remained with me.
10. If something appealed to me, I did it. I allowed myself to have any pleasure I wanted, since I found pleasure in my work. This was my reward for all my hard work.
11. But when I turned to look at all that I had accomplished and all the hard work I had put into it, I saw that it was all pointless. ⌊It was like⌋ trying to catch the wind. I gained nothing ⌊from any of my accomplishments⌋ under the sun.
12. Then I turned ⌊my attention⌋ to experience wisdom, madness, and foolishness. For instance, what can the man who replaces the king do? Only what has already been done.
13. But I saw that wisdom has an advantage over foolishness as light has an advantage over darkness.
14. A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them.
15. I thought to myself, “⌊If⌋ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless.
16. Neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered for long, since both will be forgotten in the days to come. Both the wise person and the fool will die.
17. So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌊It was like⌋ trying to catch the wind.
18. I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me.
19. Who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? He will still have control over everything under the sun for which I worked so hard and used my wisdom. Even this is pointless.
20. Then I fell into despair over everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun.
21. Here is someone who had worked hard with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. Yet, he must turn over his estate to someone else, who didn’t work for it. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.