That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It is a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit!

I communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have come to greatness, 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.

I got men-servants, and maid-servants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance -- herd and flock -- above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.

And I became great; increasing more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom was still with me.

And all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from all my labour,

Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.

Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!

And I have hated life, for sad to me is the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit.

And I hated all my labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

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.

Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?

That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.

I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him.

The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust.

Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;

yea, better than them both did I esteem him that hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor.

There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after him shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping after the wind.

In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit is to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is know what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.

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

Far off is that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?

And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].

This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.

All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that hath been done under the sun; a time that man hath ruled over man to his own evil.

Because sentence hath not been done on an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil.

There is a vanity that hath been done upon the earth, that there are righteous ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this also is vanity.

When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that hath been done on the earth, (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),

then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that hath been done under the sun, because though man labour to seek, yet he doth not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.

This is an evil among all that hath been done under the sun, that one event is to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after it -- unto the dead.

For the living know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been forgotten.

Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, hath already perished, and they have no more a portion to the age in all that hath been done under the sun.

Go, eat with joy thy bread, and drink with a glad heart thy wine, for already hath God been pleased with thy works.

Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.

and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!

Dead flies corrupt sweet ointment and make it to stink. Even so, oft times, he that hath been had in estimation for wisdom and honour is abhorred because of a little foolishness.

If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom is advantageous to make right.

Yet, a foolish man, multiplieth words, - though no man knoweth that which hath been, and, that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And one riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

Words of the wise are as goads, and as fences planted by the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.