<p class="poetry">I said of partying,<n id="1" /> &#8220;It is folly,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">and of self-indulgent pleasure,<n id="2" /> &#8220;It accomplishes nothing!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I have examined all this by wisdom;p> <p class="poetry">I said, &#8220;I am determined<n id="1" /> to comprehend this&#8221;<n id="2" /> &#8211; but it was beyond my grasp.<n id="3" />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">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>

<p class="poetry">Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">even if he lives a long, long time,<n id="1" /> but cannot enjoy his prosperity &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">even if he were to live forever<n id="2" /> &#8211; p> <p class="poetry">I would say, &#8220;A stillborn child<n id="3" /> is better off than he is!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Here is<n id="1" /> another<n id="2" /> enigma<n id="3" /> that occurs on earth:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">I said, &#8220;This also is an enigma.&#8221;p>