Ecclesiastes 2:12-23

12Then I turned ⌞my attention⌟ to experience wisdom, madness, and foolishness. For instance, what can the man who replaces the king do? Only what has already been done.

13But I saw that wisdom has an advantage over foolishness as light has an advantage over darkness.

14A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them.

15I thought to myself, “⌞If⌟ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless.

16Neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered for long, since both will be forgotten in the days to come. Both the wise person and the fool will die.

17So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind.

18I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me.

19Who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? He will still have control over everything under the sun for which I worked so hard and used my wisdom. Even this is pointless.

20Then I fell into despair over everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun.

21Here is someone who had worked hard with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. Yet, he must turn over his estate to someone else, who didn’t work for it. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.

22What do people get from all of their hard work and struggles under the sun?

23Their entire life is filled with pain, and their work is unbearable. Even at night their minds don’t rest. Even this is pointless.