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¹ I said in mine heart, Goe to nowe, I will proue thee with ioy: therefore take thou pleasure in pleasant things: and beholde, this also is vanitie.² I saide of laughter, Thou art mad: and of ioy, What is this that thou doest?³ I sought in mine heart to giue my selfe to wine, and to leade mine heart in wisdome, and to take holde of follie, till I might see where is that goodnesse of the children of men, which they enioy vnder the sunne: the whole nomber of the dayes of their life.⁴ I haue made my great workes: I haue built me houses: I haue planted me vineyards.⁵ I haue made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruite.⁶ I haue made me cisternes of water, to water therewith the woods that growe with trees.⁷ I haue gotten seruants and maides, and had children borne in the house: also I had great possession of beeues and sheepe aboue all that were before me in Ierusalem.⁸ I haue gathered vnto me also siluer and gold, and the chiefe treasures of Kings & prouinces: I haue prouided me men singers and women singers, and the delites of the sonnes of men, as a woman taken captiue, & women taken captiues.⁹ And I was great, & increased aboue all that were before me in Ierusalem: also my wisedome remained with me.¹⁰ And whatsoeuer mine eyes desired, I withheld it not from them: I withdrew not mine heart from any ioy: for mine heart reioyced in al my labour: & this was my portion of all my trauaile.¹¹ Then I looked on all my workes that mine hands had wrought, and on the trauaile that I had laboured to doe: and beholde, all is vanitie and vexation of the spirit: and there is no profite vnder the sunne.

¹² And I turned to beholde wisedome, and madnes and follie: (for who is the man that will come after the King in things, which men nowe haue done?)¹³ Then I saw that there is profite in wisdome, more then in follie: as the light is more excellent then darkenes.¹⁴ For the wise mans eyes are in his head, but the foole walketh in darknes: yet I know also that the same condition falleth to them all.¹⁵ Then I thought in mine heart, It befalleth vnto me, as it befalleth to ye foole. Why therefore doe I then labour to be more wise? And I sayd in mine heart, that this also is vanitie.¹⁶ For there shalbe no remembrance of the wise, nor of the foole for euer: for that that now is, in the dayes to come shall all be forgotten. And howe dyeth the wise man, as doeth the foole?

¹⁷ Therefore I hated life: for the worke that is wrought vnder the sunne is grieuous vnto me: for all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.¹⁸ I hated also all my labour, wherein I had trauailed vnder the sunne, which I shall leaue to the man that shalbe after me.¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shalbe wise or foolish? yet shall hee haue rule ouer all my labour, wherein I haue trauailed, and wherein I haue shewed my selfe wise vnder the sunne. This is also vanitie.²⁰ Therefore I went about to make mine heart abhorre all the labour, wherein I had trauailed vnder the sunne.²¹ For there is a man whose trauaile is in wisdome, and in knowledge and in equitie: yet to a man that hath not trauailed herein, shal he giue his portion: this also is vanitie and a great griefe.²² For what hath man of all his trauaile and griefe of his heart, wherein he hath trauailed vnder the sunne?²³ For all his dayes are sorowes, and his trauaile griefe: his heart also taketh not rest in the night: which also is vanitie.²⁴ There is no profit to man: but yt he eate, and drinke, & delight his soule with the profit of his labour: I saw also this, yt it was of the hand of God.²⁵ For who could eate, and who could haste to outward things more then I?²⁶ Surely to a man that is good in his sight, God giueth wisdome, and knowledge, and ioy: but to the sinner he giueth paine, to gather, and to heape to giue to him that is good before God: this is also vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.