Ecclesiastes 2 Updated Brenton English Septuagint

21 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: And, behold, this is also vanity. 2 I said to laughter, Madness: And to mirth, Why doest thou this? 3 And I examined whether my heart Would excite my flesh as [with] wine (Though my heart guided [me] in wisdom), And [I desired] to lay hold of mirth, Until I should see of what kind is the good to the sons of men, Which they should do under the sun All the days of their life. 4 I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards. 5 I made me gardens and orchards, And planted in them every kind of fruit tree. 6 I made me pools of water, To water from them the timber-bearing wood. 7 I got servants and maidens, And servants were born to me in the house: Also I had abundant possession of flocks and herds, Beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem. 8 Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold also, And the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces: I procured me singing men and singing women, And delights of the sons of men, A butler and female cupbearers. 9 So I became great, And advanced beyond all That were before me in Jerusalem: Also my wisdom was established to me. 10 And whatever mine eyes desired, I withheld not from them, I withheld not my heart From all my mirth: For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my portion Of all my labor. 11 And I looked on all my works Which my hands had wrought, And on my labor which I labored to perform: And, behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, And there is no advantage under the sun. 12 Then I looked on to see wisdom, And madness, and folly: For who is the man who will follow after counsel, In all things wherein he employs it? 13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly, As much as light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; But the fool walks in darkness: And I perceived, even I, That one event shall happen to them all. 15 And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, So shall it be to me, even to me; And to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, Because the fool speaks of his abundance. 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise man With the fool forever; Forasmuch as now [in] the coming days All things are forgotten: And how shall the wise man die with the fool? 17 So I hated life; Because the work that was wrought under the sun Was evil before me: For all is vanity and waywardness of spirit. 18 And I hated the whole of my labor Which I took under the sun; Because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? And whether he will have power over all my labor In which I labored, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? This is also vanity. 20 So I went about to dismiss from my heart All my labor wherein I had labored under the sun. 21 For there is [such] a man that his labor Is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; Yet [this] man shall give his portion To one who has not labored therein. This is also vanity and great evil. 22 For it happens to a man in all his labor, And in the purpose of his heart Wherein he labors under the sun. 23 For all his days [Are days] of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his; In the night also his heart rests not. This is also vanity. 24 A man has nothing [really] good To eat, and to drink, and to show his soul [As] good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him? 26 For [God] has given to the man Who is good in his sight, Wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: But he has given to the sinner trouble, To add and to heap up, That he may give to him that is good before God; For this is also vanity and waywardness of spirit.