9. So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.
10. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.
11. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
12. So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?).
13. I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.