8 I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want.
9 Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me.
10 Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward.
11 Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind — of no use at all.
12 After all, a king can only do what previous kings have done.So I started thinking about what it meant to be wise or reckless or foolish.
13 Oh, I know, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise can see where they are going, and fools cannot.” But I also know that the same fate is waiting for us all.