The Sun ariseth, the sun goeth down, and returneth to his place, that he may there rise up again.

All things are full of weariness; man may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

I observed every activity done on earth. My conclusion: all of it is pointless like chasing after the wind.

That which is bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I went again in search of wisdom and of foolish ways. What may the man do who comes after the king? The thing which he has done before.

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

For although a person may toil with great wisdom and skill, he must leave his reward to someone who has not toiled for it. This also [is] vanity and a great calamity.

Who may take food or have pleasure without him?

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him.

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.

So I turned me, and considered all the violent wrong that is done under the Sun, and beheld the tears of such as were oppressed; and there was no man to comfort them or that would deliver and defend them from the violence of their oppressors.

So my praise was for the dead who have gone to their death, more than for the living who still have life.

Moreover, I turned me, and behold yet another vanity under the Sun.

There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

Therefore two are better than one, for they may well enjoy the profit of their labour.

For if one falls, his companion may help him up. But pity the one who falls and there is {no one} to help him up.

So again, if two are sleeping together they are warm, but how may one be warm by himself?

{Although an assailant may overpower one person, two may withstand him}. A threefold cord {is not easily broken}!

The former can come out of prison to reign, while the latter, even if born to kingship, may become poor.

For where much carefulness is, there are many dreams: and where many words are, there men may hear fools.

Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

Whereas many riches are, there are many also that spend them away. And what pleasure more hath he that possesseth them, saving that he may look upon them with his eyes?

As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

Therefore me think it a better and fairer thing, a man to eat and drink, and to be refreshed of all his labour that he taketh under the Sun all the days of his life which God giveth him: for this is his portion.

A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.

Grief is better than laughter,
for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider that
God has made the one as well as the other,
So that man will not find out anything that will be after him.

All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,

All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?

I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things , and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Neither is there any man that hath power over the spirit, to keep still the spirit, nor to have any power in the time of death: it is not he also that can make an end of the battle, neither may ungodliness deliver him that meddleth withall.

All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

Yet is there a vanity upon earth: there be just men, unto whom it happeneth, as though they had the works of the ungodly; Again, there be ungodly, with whom it goeth as though they had the works of the righteous. This me think also a vain thing.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),

then I saw that all is the work of God, and that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek it out, yet doth he not find it; and even, if a wise man think to know it, he shall not be able to find it out.

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge -- for time and chance may overcome them all.

This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

Better is wisdom, than weapons of war, - but, one sinner, may destroy much good.

If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.

The one who digs a pit may fall into it,
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.

By two lazy arms, the framework sinketh in, - and, by the hanging down of the hands, the house may leak.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice; a winged messenger may repeat your words.

Send your bread on the surface of the waters,
for after many days you may find it.

Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.

But even if a man's life is long and he has joy in all his years, let him keep in mind the dark days, because they will be great in number. Whatever may come is to no purpose.

And remember him creating thee in the days of thy youth, till even when the days of evil shall not come, and the years draw near in which thou shalt say, Not to me delight in them;

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.