2:1-2 — The Pursuit of Pleasure
1I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But behold, that also was pointless. 2I said of laughter, “How stupid!” And of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
2:3 — Pleasure from Wine
3I searched with my heart how to entice my flesh with wine (my heart still guiding me with wisdom), and how to embrace folly until I could see what is good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven in the number of the days of their lives.
2:4-10 — Pleasure from Luxury, Wealth, and Women
4I made great works for myself: I built myself houses. I planted vineyards for myself. 5I made gardens and private gardens for myself and I planted in them trees of all kinds of fruit. 6I made pools of water for myself, from which to water groves of growing trees. 7I bought male slaves and female slaves and had slaves who were born in my house. I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem; 8I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers for myself, and the delights of the sons of men—many beautiful concubines. 9So I became great and surpassed all those who had been before me in Jerusalem. Still, my wisdom also remained with me. 10And whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor, and this was my portion for all my labor.
2:11 — Conclusion: Pleasure is Pointless
11But when I turned to consider all the works that my hands had worked, and the labor that I had labored to do, behold, all was pointless and herding the wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
2:12-16 — Further Consideration of Wisdom & Foolishness
12I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and foolishness; for what can the man do who will come after the king? Only that which has already been done. 13And I saw that wisdom is superior to folly as light is superior to darkness. 14The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all. 15Then I said to myself, “As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me; so why then was I more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is pointless. 16For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no lasting memory, seeing that in the days to come all will have been forgotten. And how will the wise man die? Just like the fool!
2:17 — Conclusion: Wisdom & Foolishness are Pointless
17So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was distressing to me; for all is pointless and herding the wind.
