ECCLESIASTES CH 2 Study of Pleasure

opera, avant-garde gospel, experimental folk, ethereal sung word, contemplative wisdom, ‑noise, ‑reverberation, ‑talking, ‑yelling

V5.5

[instrumental]

[verse]
I said in my heart,
“Come, now, let me try you with pleasure
and the enjoyment of good things.”
See, this too was vanity.
Of laughter I said: “Mad!”
and of mirth: “What good does this do?”
Guided by wisdom, I probed with my mind
how to beguile my senses with wine
and take up folly,
until I should understand
what is good for human beings to do
under the heavens
during the limited days of their lives.

[verse]
I undertook great works;
I built myself houses
and planted vineyards;
I made gardens and parks,
and in them set out fruit trees of all sorts.
And I constructed for myself reservoirs
to water a flourishing woodland.
I acquired male and female slaves,
and had slaves who were born in my house.
I also owned vast herds of cattle
and flocks of sheep,
more than all who had been before me
in Jerusalem.
I amassed for myself silver and gold,
and the treasures of kings and provinces.
I provided for myself
male and female singers
and delights of men, many women.
I accumulated much more
than all others before me in Jerusalem;
my wisdom, too, stayed with me.

[pre-chorus]
Nothing that my eyes desired
did I deny them,
nor did I deprive myself of any joy;
rather, my heart rejoiced
in the fruit of all my toil.
This was my share for all my toil.

[chorus]
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities!
All things are vanity!

[verse]
But when I turned to all the works
that my hands had wrought,
and to the fruit of the toil
for which I had toiled so much,
see! all was vanity
and a chase after wind.
There is no profit under the sun.
What about one who succeeds a king?
He can do only what has already been done.

[verse]
I went on to the consideration
of wisdom, madness and folly.
And I saw that wisdom has as much profit
over folly
as light has over darkness.
Wise people have eyes in their heads,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I knew that the same lot befalls both.
So I said in my heart,
if the fool’s lot is to befall me also,
why should I be wise?
Where is the profit?
And in my heart I decided
that this too is vanity.

[pre-chorus]
The wise person will have no more
abiding remembrance than the fool;
for in days to come both will have been forgotten.
How is it that the wise person dies like the fool!

[chorus]
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities!
All things are vanity!

[instrumental]

[end]

2364/7500

[instrumental] [verse] I said in my heart, “Come, now, let me try you with pleasure and the enjoyment of good things.” See, this too was vanity. Of laughter I said: “Mad!” and of mirth: “What good does this do?” Guided by wisdom, I probed with my mind how to beguile my senses with wine and take up folly, until I should understand what is good for human beings to do under the heavens during the limited days of their lives. [verse] I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards; I made gardens and parks, and in them set out fruit trees of all sorts. And I constructed for myself reservoirs to water a flourishing woodland. I acquired male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned vast herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem. I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the treasures of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and delights of men, many women. I accumulated much more than all others before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, stayed with me. [pre-chorus] Nothing that my eyes desired did I deny them, nor did I deprive myself of any joy; rather, my heart rejoiced in the fruit of all my toil. This was my share for all my toil. [chorus] Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! [verse] But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the fruit of the toil for which I had toiled so much, see! all was vanity and a chase after wind. There is no profit under the sun. What about one who succeeds a king? He can do only what has already been done. [verse] I went on to the consideration of wisdom, madness and folly. And I saw that wisdom has as much profit over folly as light has over darkness. Wise people have eyes in their heads, but fools walk in darkness. Yet I knew that the same lot befalls both. So I said in my heart, if the fool’s lot is to befall me also, why should I be wise? Where is the profit? And in my heart I decided that this too is vanity. [pre-chorus] The wise person will have no more abiding remembrance than the fool; for in days to come both will have been forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies like the fool! [chorus] Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! [instrumental] [end]

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