Beginning
1 The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the preacher, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.
3 “What remains to man in all his travail which he suffers under the Sun?”
4 One generation passes, and another generation succeeds. But the Earth remains forever.
5 The Sun rises, and the Sun goes down, and hastens to its place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south, and circles around toward the north. The wind whirls about continually and returns by its circuits.
7 All the rivers go into the sea. Yet the sea is not full. For the rivers go to the place from where they have returned.
8 All things are full of labor. Man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be. And what has been done is what shall be done. And there is no new thing under the Sun.
10 Is there anything of which one may say, “Behold this, it is new?” It has already been in the previous time before us.
11 There is no memory of former things, nor shall there be a remembrance of things to come by those who shall come after.
12 I, the preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I have given my heart to search and find out wisdom by all things that are done under the heaven. God has given this sore travail to the sons of men to humble them.
14 I have considered all the works that are done under the Sun and behold, all is vanity and grasping at the wind.
15 That which is crooked can no one make straight. And that which fails cannot be numbered.
16 I thought in my heart, and said, “Behold, I have become great, and exceed in wisdom all those who have been before me in Jerusalem. And my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and foolishness. I knew also that this is grasping at the wind.
18 For in the multitude of wisdom is much grief. And he who increases knowledge, increases sorrow.
2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. Therefore, enjoy yourself.” And behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of joy, “What does it accomplish?”
3 I sought in my heart to give myself to wine while leading my heart in wisdom, and to take hold of folly until I might see what goodness there is for the children of men to do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I have made my great works. I have built myself houses. I have planted vineyards.
5 I have made myself gardens and orchards and planted all fruit trees in them.
6 I have made myself cisterns of water with which to water the woods that grow with trees.
7 I have gotten servants and maids and had children in the house. Also, I had a great possession of herds and flocks above all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I have also gathered to me silver and gold and the chief treasures of kings and provinces. I have provided myself men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men, a woman taken captive and women taken captives.
9 And I was great and increased above all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom remained with me also.
10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them. I did not withdraw my heart from any pleasure; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. And this was my reward for all my labor.
11 Then I looked on all my works that my hands had wrought, and on the work that I had labored to do. And behold, all is vanity and grasping at the wind. And there is no profit under the Sun.
12 And I turned to behold wisdom and madness and folly. For what may the man who will come after the king do except that which men now have done?
13 Then I saw that there is more profit in wisdom than in folly, as the light is more excellent than darkness.
14 For the wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also know that the same condition befalls them all.
15 Then I thought in my heart, “What happens to me, happens to the fool. Therefore, why do I labor to be more wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
16 For there shall be no remembrance of either the wise or the fool, forever. For in the days to come, what now is shall all be forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Just as the fool!
17 Therefore, I hated life. For the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous to me. For all is vanity and grasping at the wind.
18 I also hated all my labor in which I had travailed under the Sun, which I shall leave to the man who shall come after me.
19 And who knows whether he shall be wise or foolish? Yet he shall have rule over all my labor in which I have travailed, and in which I have shown myself wise under the Sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore, I went about to make my heart abhor all the labor in which I had travailed under the Sun.
21 For there is a man whose travail is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in skill. Yet, he shall give his portion to a man who has not travailed in these. This also is vanity, and a great grief.
22 For what has man for all the labor and grief of his heart in which he has travailed under the Sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his work grief. Also, his heart does not take rest in the night, which is also vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man but that he eat and drink and delight his soul with the profit of his labor. This I saw, also, that it was of the Hand of God.
25 For who could eat and who could seek enjoyment more than I?
26 Surely to a man who is good in His sight, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner He gives pain to gather and to heap, to give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping at the wind.
3 To all things there is an appointed time, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot that which is planted,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to be far from embracing,
6 a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,
7 a time to tear and a time to sow, a time to keep silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace.
9 What profit does the worker have from the thing in which he works?
10 I have seen the work that God has given to the sons of men by which to humble them.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set the world in their heart, yet man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for him than to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man eats and drinks and sees the good of all his labor. This is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God shall do, it shall be forever. No man can add to it, and from it no one can subtract. For God has done it so that they would fear before Him.
15 Whatever has already been, is now. And whatever shall be, has already been. For God requires that which is past.
16 And moreover, I have seen the place of judgment under the Sun, where wickedness was, and the place of justice, where iniquity was.
17 I thought in my heart, “God will judge the just and the wicked. For there is a time for every purpose and for every work.”
18 I considered the state of the children of men in my heart, that God had examined them, so that they too see themselves as beasts.
19 For the condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts is the same, as the one dies so dies the other. For they all have one breath. And there is no excellency of man above beast. For all is vanity.
20 All go to one place. And all were of the dust. And all shall return to the dust.
21 Who knows whether the spirit of man ascends upward, and the spirit of the beast descends downward to the earth?
22 Therefore, I see that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his affairs, because that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
4 So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed. And no one comforts them. And lo, the strength is in the hand of those who oppress them. Yet no one comforts them.
2 Therefore, I praised the dead who are already dead above the living who are still alive.
3 And I count him who has not even been born as better than them both. For he has not seen the evil works which are wrought under the Sun.
4 Also I beheld all work, and all perfection of work, and that this is the envy of a man against his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping at the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
6 Better is a handful with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and grasping at the wind.
7 Again I returned and saw vanity under the Sun.
8 There is one who has neither son nor brother. And there is no second. Still, there is no end of all his travail. Nor can his eye be satisfied with riches. Nor does he think, “For whom do I travail and defraud my soul of pleasures?” This also is vanity. This is an evil travail.
9 Two are better than one. They have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone. For he falls, and there is not a second to lift him up.
11 Also if two sleep together, then they shall have heat. But how would there be heat for one?
12 And though one is overcome, two shall stand. And a threefold cord is not easily broken.
13 Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who will no longer be admonished.
14 For he comes forth to reign from prison, though he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I beheld all the living who walk under the Sun with the second child, who shall stand up in his place.
16 There is no end of all the people who were before them. And those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this is also vanity and grasping at the wind.
17 Guard your step when you enter into the House of God and be near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they do not know that they do evil.
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