4. Then I did great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself.
5. I planted gardens, and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6. I made pools of water for myself. And I used them to water my growing trees.
7. I bought men and women slaves. Slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. I had more than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8. I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and other areas. I had men and women singers. I had all the wives a man could ever want.
9. I became very famous. I was greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this.
10. Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself.I did not miss any pleasure I desired.I was pleased with everything I did.And this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work.
11. But then I looked at what I had done.I thought about all the hard work.Suddenly I realized it was just a waste of time, like chasing the wind!There is nothing to gain from anything we do here on earth.
12. Then I began to think again about being wise.And I thought also about being foolish and doing crazy things.But after all, what more can any king do?He can only do what some other king has already done.
13. I saw that being wise is certainly better than being foolish,just as light is better than darkness.
14. A wise man sees where he is going.But a foolish person is like someone walking around in the dark.Yet I saw thatboth the foolish person and the wise man end the same way.
15. I thought to myself,“What happens to a foolish person will happen to me, too.So what do I get for being so wise?”I said to myself,“Being wise is also useless.”
16. The wise man and the foolish personwill both die!People will not remember either one forever.In the future, both will be forgotten.