All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.

The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.

All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go 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.

There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.

And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.

I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.

I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem--yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.

I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.

I got men-servants and women-servants, and they gave birth to sons and daughters in my house. I had great wealth of herds and flocks, more than all who were in Jerusalem before me.

The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the foolish man goes walking in the dark; but still I saw that the same event comes to them all.

Of the wise man, as of the foolish man, there is no memory for ever, seeing that those who now are will have gone from memory in the days to come. See how death comes to the wise as to the foolish!

And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.

Who may take food or have pleasure without him?

A time for love and a time for hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past.

All go to one place, all are of the dust, and all will be turned to dust again.

Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth?

And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.

Yes, happier than the dead or the living seemed he who has not ever been, who has not seen the evil which is done under the sun.

It is one who is by himself, without a second, and without son or brother; but there is no end to all his work, and he has never enough of wealth. For whom, then, am I working and keeping myself from pleasure? This again is to no purpose, and a bitter work.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their work.

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

And two attacked by one would be safe, and three cords twisted together are not quickly broken.

Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth--so let not the number of your words be great.

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.

If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.

And though he goes on living a thousand years twice over and does not see good, are not the two going to the same place?

There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?

The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.

It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.

The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.

Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.

These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.

Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?

It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.

Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.

Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.

And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.

The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?

No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.

And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life is long, I am certain that it will be well for those who go in fear of God and are in fear before him.

There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them.

This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that--to the dead.

The living are conscious that death will come to them, but the dead are not conscious of anything, and they no longer have a reward, because there is no memory of them.

Their love and their hate and their envy are now ended; and they have no longer a part for ever in anything which is done under the sun.

Come, take your bread with joy, and your wine with a glad heart. God has taken pleasure in your works.

Let your clothing be white at all times, and let not your head be without oil.

Have joy with the woman of your love all the days of your foolish life which he gives you under the sun. Because that is your part in life and in your work which you do under the sun.

Whatever comes to your hand to do with all your power, do it because there is no work, or thought, or knowledge, or wisdom in the place of the dead to which you are going.

And again I saw under the sun that the reward goes not to him who is quick, or the fruits of war to the strong; and there is no bread for the wise, or wealth for men of learning, or respect for those who have knowledge; but time and chance come to all.

Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

There was a little town and the number of its men was small, and there came a great king against it and made an attack on it, building works of war round about it.

Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is not respected, and his words are not given a hearing.

The words of the wise which come quietly to the ear are noted more than the cry of a ruler among the foolish.

Wisdom is better than instruments of war, but one sinner is the destruction of 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 foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.

The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.

The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.

The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?

Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.

Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.

Put out your bread on the face of the waters; for after a long time it will come back to you again.

Give a part to seven or even to eight, because you have no knowledge of the evil which will be on the earth.

If the clouds are full of rain, they send it down on the earth; and if a tree comes down to the south, or the north, in whatever place it comes down, there it will be.

As you have no knowledge of the way of the wind, or of the growth of the bones in the body of her who is with child, even so you have no knowledge of the works of God who has made all.

In the morning put your seed into the earth, and till the evening let not your hand be at rest; because you are not certain which will do well, this or that--or if the two will be equally good.

Have joy, O young man, while you are young; and let your heart be glad in the days of your strength, and go in the ways of your heart, and in the desire of your eyes; but be certain that for all these things God will be your judge.

So put away trouble from your heart, and sorrow from your flesh; because the early years and the best years are to no purpose.

Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength, while the evil days come not, and the years are far away when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not dark, and the clouds come not back after the rain;

In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;

When the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of the crushing is low, and the voice of the bird is soft, and the daughters of music will be made low;

And he is in fear of that which is high, and danger is in the road, and the tree is white with flower, and the least thing is a weight, and desire is at an end, because man goes to his last resting-place, and those who are sorrowing are in the streets;

Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole;

All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.

The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.

The words of the wise are pointed, and sayings grouped together are like nails fixed with a hammer; they are given by one guide.

God will be judge of every work, with every secret thing, good or evil.