Ecclesiastes 2

amarti ani belibbi lekhah-nna anassekhah vesimkhah ure'eh vetov vehinneh gam-hu havel

I said to myself, “Come, I will treat you to merriment. Taste mirth!” That too, I found, was futile.

liskhoq amarti meholal ulesimkhah mah-zzoh osah

Of revelry I said, “It’s mad!” Of merriment, “What good is that?”

tarti velibbi limshokh bayyayin et-besari velibbi noheg bakhokhmah vele'ekhoz besikhlut ad asher-ereh e-zeh tov livne ha'adam asher ya'asu takhat hashamayim mispar yeme khayyehem

I ventured to tempt my flesh with wine, and to grasp folly, while letting my mind direct with wisdom, to the end that I might learn which of the two was better for mortals to practice in their few days of life under heaven.

higdalti ma'asay baniti li battim natati li keramim

I multiplied my possessions. I built myself houses and I planted vineyards.

asiti li gannot ufardesim venatati vahem ets kol-peri

I laid out gardens and groves, in which I planted every kind of fruit tree.

asiti li berekhot mayim lehashqot mehem ya'ar tsomeakh etsim

I constructed pools of water, enough to irrigate a forest shooting up with trees.

qaniti avadim ushefakhot uvene-vayit hayah li gam miqneh vaqar vatson harbeh hayah li mikkol shehayu lefanay birushalai͏m

I bought male and female slaves, and I acquired stewards. I also acquired more cattle, both herds and flocks, than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

kanasti li gam-kesef vezahav usegullat melakhim vehammedinot asiti li sharim vesharot veta'anugot bene ha'adam shiddah veshiddot

I further amassed silver and gold and treasures of kings and provinces; and I got myself male and female singers, as well as the luxuries of commoners—coffers and coffers of them.

vegadalti vehosafti mikkol shehayah lefanay birushalai͏m af khokhmati amedah li

Thus, I gained more wealth than anyone before me in Jerusalem. In addition, my wisdom remained with me:

vekhol asher sha'alu enay lo atsalti mehem lo-manati et-libbi mikkol-simkhah ki-libbi sameakh mikkol-amali vezeh-hayah khelqi mikkol-amali

I withheld from my eyes nothing they asked for, and denied myself no enjoyment; rather, I got enjoyment out of all my wealth. And that was all I got out of my wealth.

ufaniti ani bekhol-ma'asay she'asu yaday uve'amal she'amalti la'asot vehinneh hakkol hevel ure'ut ruakh ve'en yitron takhat hashamesh

Then my thoughts turned to all the fortune my hands had built up, to the wealth I had acquired and won—and oh, it was all futile and pursuit of wind; there was no real value under the sun!

ufaniti ani lirot khokhmah veholelot vesikhlut ki meh ha'adam sheyyavo akhare hammelekh et asher-kevar asuhu

For what will the man be like who will succeed the one who is ruling over what was built up long ago? My thoughts also turned to appraising wisdom and madness and folly.

vera'iti ani sheyyesh yitron lakhokhmah min-hassikhlut kiteron ha'or min-hakhoshekh

I found that Wisdom is superior to folly As light is superior to darkness;

hekhakham enayw berosho vehakkesil bakhoshekh holekh veyadati gam-ani shemmiqreh ekhad yiqreh et-kullam

The wise have their eyes in their head, Whereas fools walk in darkness. But I also realized that the same fate awaits them all.

ve'amarti ani belibbi kemiqreh hakkesil gam-ani yiqreni velammah khakhamti ani az yoter vedibbarti velibbi sheggam-zeh havel

So I reflected: “The fate of the fool is also destined for me; to what advantage, then, have I been wise?” And I came to the conclusion that that too was futile,

ki en zikhron lekhakham im-hakkesil le'olam beshekkevar hayyamim habba'im hakkol nishkakh ve'ekh yamut hekhakham im-hakkesil

because the wise, just like the foolish, are not remembered forever; for, as the succeeding days roll by, both are forgotten. Alas, the wise die, just like the foolish!

vesaneti et-hakhayyim ki ra alay hamma'aseh shenna'asah takhat hashamesh ki-hakkol hevel ure'ut ruakh

And so I loathed life. For I was distressed by all that goes on under the sun, because everything is futile and pursuit of wind.

vesaneti ani et-kol-amali she'ani amel takhat hashamesh she'annikhennu la'adam sheyyihyeh akharay

So, too, I loathed all the wealth that I was gaining under the sun. For I shall leave it to the man who will succeed me—

umi yodea hekhakham yihyeh o sakhal veyishlat bekhol-amali she'amalti veshekhakhamti takhat hashamesh gam-zeh havel

and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish?—and he will control all the wealth that I gained by toil and wisdom under the sun. That too is futile.

vesabboti ani leya'esh et-libbi al kol-he'amal she'amalti takhat hashamesh

And so I came to view with despair all the gains I had made under the sun.

ki-yesh adam she'amalo bekhokhmah uveda'at uvekhishron ule'adam shello amal-bo yittenennu khelqo gam-zeh hevel vera'ah rabbah

For sometimes a person whose fortune was made with wisdom, knowledge, and skill must hand it on to be the portion of somebody who did not toil for it. That too is futile, and a grave evil.

ki meh-hoveh la'adam bekhol-amalo uverayon libbo shehu amel takhat hashamesh

For what do mortals get for all the toiling and worrying they do under the sun?

ki khol-yamayw makhovim vakha'as inyano gam-ballaylah lo-shakhav libbo gam-zeh hevel hu

All their days their thoughts are grief and heartache, and even at night their mind has no respite. That too is futile!

en-tov ba'adam sheyyokhal veshatah veherah et-nafsho tov ba'amalo gam-zoh ra'iti ani ki miyyad ha'elohim hi

There is nothing worthwhile for mortals but to eat and drink and afford themselves enjoyment with their means. And even that, I noted, comes from God.

ki mi yokhal umi yakhush khuts mimmenni

For who eats and who enjoys but myself?

ki le'adam shettov lefanayw natan khokhmah veda'at vesimkhah velakhote natan inyan le'esof velikhnos latet letov lifne ha'elohim gam-zeh hevel ure'ut ruakh

One, namely, who pleases [God] is given the wisdom and shrewdness for enjoyment; while one who displeases is given the urge to gather and amass—only for handing on to someone who is pleasing to God. That too is futile and pursuit of wind.