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

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.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge.

I acquired servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that had been in Jerusalem before me.

And I became great, and increased more than all that had been before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

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.

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 know that whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever; there is nothing to be added to it, nor anything to be taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

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

And, though an enemy should prevail against one, two, might make a stand before him, - and, a threefold cord, cannot soon be broken.

There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that is was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

When prosperity increases, those who consume it increase. {So its owner gains nothing, except to see his wealth before it is spent}.

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.

For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?

That which is, has been named before, and of what man is there is knowledge. He has no power against one stronger than he.

Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

All these things have I proved because of wisdom: For I thought to be wise, but she went farther from me than she was before;

And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is nets and snares, her hands are bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.

Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.

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.

But it will not be well for the evil-doer; he will not make his days long like a shade, because he has no fear before God.

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.

There is an evil I saw under the sun as an error going forth from before him having power:

If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.

Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;

before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,