Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 - Qohelet's Investigation Of Personal Accomplishment

⁴ I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens. ⁵ I made myself gardens and fruit gardens, planting in them fruit-trees of all sorts. ⁶ I made pools to give water for the woods with their young trees. ⁷ I got men-servants and women-servants, and they gave birth to sons and daughters in my house. I had great wealth of herds and flocks, more than all who were in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I got together silver and gold and the wealth of kings and of countries. I got makers of song, male and female; and the delights of the sons of men--girls of all sorts to be my brides. ⁹ And I became great; increasing more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom was still with me. ¹⁰ And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward. ¹¹ Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.