Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 - Is There Real Happiness In Life?
17 So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous to me. For all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 And I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who shall be after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skillfulness, yet he shall leave it to a man who has not labored in it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart in which he labors under the sun? 23 For all his days are [but] sorrows, and his travail is grief, yea, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man [than] that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, without him? 26 For to the man who pleases him [God] gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.