² Perfectly pointless,^[a] says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
    Everything is pointless.

³ What do people gain from all the hard work
    that they work so hard at under the sun?
⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but the earth remains as it always has.
⁵ The sun rises, the sun sets;
    it returns panting to the place where it dawns.
⁶ The wind blows to the south,
    goes around to the north;
    around and around blows the wind;
    the wind returns to its rounds again.
⁷ All streams flow to the sea,
    but the sea is never full;
    to the place where the rivers flow,
    there they continue to flow.
⁸ All words^[b] are tiring;
    no one is able to speak.
    The eye isn’t satisfied with seeing,
    neither is the ear filled up by hearing.
⁹ Whatever has happened—that’s what will happen again;
    whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again.

3 There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:
²     a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
    a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
³     a time for killing and a time for healing,
    a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
⁴     a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
⁵     a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
    a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
⁶     a time for searching and a time for losing,
    a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
⁷     a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
    a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
⁸     a time for loving and a time for hating,
    a time for war and a time for peace.