<p class="poetry">So I thought to myself, &#8220;The fate of the fool will happen even to me!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively<n id="2" /> wise?&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">So I lamented to myself,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The benefits of wisdom<n id="5" /> are ultimately<n id="6" /> meaningless!&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="poetry">So<n id="1" /> I again considered<n id="2" /> another<n id="3" /> futile thing on earth:<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Obey the king&#8217;s command,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">because you took<n id="2" /> an oath before God<n id="3" /> to be loyal to him.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">just as light is preferable to darkness:p>

<p class="poetry">So I began to despair<n id="1" /> about all the fruit of<n id="2" /> my labor<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">for which I worked so hard<n id="4" /> on earth.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I considered<n id="1" /> those who are dead and gone<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">more fortunate than those who are still alive.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but a poor man&#8217;s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens<n id="2" /> to his advice.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I thought to myself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I have become much wiser<n id="2" /> than any of my predecessors who ruled<n id="3" /> over Jerusalem;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I<n id="5" /> have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<t /> I thought to myself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Come now,<n id="2" /> I will try<n id="3" /> self-indulgent pleasure<n id="4" /> to see<n id="5" /> if it is worthwhile.&#8221;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">But I found<n id="7" /> that it also is futile.<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="3" /> &#8220;All these<n id="4" /> achievements and possessions<n id="5" /> are ultimately<n id="6" /> profitless<n id="7" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">like chasing the wind!p> <p class="poetry">There is nothing gained<n id="8" /> from them<n id="9" /> on earth.&#8221;<n id="10" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Next, I decided to consider<n id="1" /> wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For what more can the king&#8217;s successor do than what the king<n id="3" /> has already done?p>

<p class="poetry">The wise man can see where he is going,<n id="1" /> but the fool walks in darkness.p> <p class="poetry">Yet I also realized that the same fate<n id="2" /> happens to them both.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">So I loathed all the fruit of<n id="1" /> my effort,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for which I worked so hard<n id="3" /> on earth,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because<n id="5" /> I must leave it<n id="6" /> behind<n id="7" /> in the hands of my successor.<n id="8" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">There is nothing better for<n id="1" /> people<n id="2" /> than<n id="3" /> to eat and drink,p> <p class="poetry">and to find enjoyment<n id="4" /> in their<n id="5" /> work.p> <p class="poetry">I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment<n id="6" /> comes from God.<n id="7" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought to myself, &#8220;God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;p> <p class="poetry">for there is an appropriate time for every activity,p> <p class="poetry">and there is a time of judgment<n id="1" /> for every deed. p>

<p class="poetry">I also thought to myself, &#8220;It is<n id="1" /> for the sake of people,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">so God can clearly<n id="3" /> show<n id="4" /> them that they are like animals.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I tried<n id="1" /> to understand, examine, and comprehend<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the role of<n id="3" /> wisdom in the scheme of things,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and to understand the stupidity of wickedness<n id="5" /> and the insanity of folly.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">So<n id="1" /> I again considered<n id="2" /> all the oppression<n id="3" /> that continually occurs<n id="4" /> on earth.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">This is what I saw:<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">The oppressed<n id="7" /> were in tears,<n id="8" /> but no one was comforting them;p> <p class="poetry">no one delivers<n id="9" /> them from the power of their oppressors.<n id="10" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Then I considered<n id="1" /> all the skillful work<n id="2" /> that is done:p> <p class="poetry">Surely it is nothing more than<n id="3" /> competition<n id="4" /> between one person and another.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">This also is profitless &#8211; like<n id="6" /> chasing the wind.p>