Everything is wearisome, more than man is able to express. The eye is never satisfied by seeing, nor the ear by hearing.

Whatever has happened, will happen again; whatever has been done, will be done again. There is nothing new on earth.

No one remembers those in the past, nor will they be remembered by those who come after them.

What is crooked cannot be made straight; what is not there cannot be counted.

Then I examined all of my accomplishments that I had brought about by my own efforts, including the work that I had labored so hard to complete and it was all pointless, like chasing after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained on earth.

For neither the wise nor the fool will be long remembered, since in days to come everything will be forgotten. The wise man dies the same way as the fool, does he not?

And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless.

So I came to be in despair about everything I had accomplished on earth.

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;

a time to tear, and a time to mend; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;

I have observed the burdens placed by God on human beings in order to perfect them.

I have concluded that everything that God undertakes will last for eternity nothing can be added to it nor taken away from it and that God acts this way so that people will fear him.

That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place.

I also examined on earth: where the halls of justice were supposed to be, there was lawlessness; and where the righteous were supposed to be, there was lawlessness. 17I told myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time set to judge every event and every work."

There was no end to all of his subjects or to all of the people who had come before them. But those who come along afterward will not be happy with him. This is also pointless and a chasing after wind.

Don't be impulsive with your mouth nor be in a hurry to talk in God's presence. Since God is in heaven and you're on earth, keep your speech short.

Never let your mouth cause you to sin and don't proclaim in the presence of the angel, "My promise was a mistake," for why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy what you've undertaken?

Don't be surprised when you see the poor oppressed and the violent perverting both justice and verdicts in a province, for one high official watches another, and there are ones higher still over them.

Also, the increase of the land belongs to everyone; the king himself is served by his field.

Whoever loves money will never have enough money. Whoever loves luxury will not be content with abundance. This also is pointless.

I have observed a painful tragedy on earth: Wealth hoarded by its owner harms him,

Whatever exists has been named already; people know what it means to be human and a person cannot defeat one who is more powerful than he.

Never be in a hurry to become internally angry, since anger settles down in the lap of fools.

When times are good, be joyful; when times are bad, consider this: God made the one as well as the other, so people won't seek anything outside of his best.

Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise. Why be self-destructive?

Do not excel at wickedness, nor be a fool. Why die before your time?

I used my wisdom to test all of this. I said, "I want to be wise," but it was beyond me.

I discovered for myself a bitterness that surpasses that of death: the woman whose heart is full of snares and nets, whose hands are chains of bondage. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the transgressor will be trapped by her.

Among the things I seek but have not found: one man among a thousand I did find, but I have not found one woman to be wise among all these.

Don't be in a hurry to leave him, and don't persist in evil, for he does whatever he pleases.

So then I recommended enjoyment of life, because it is better on earth for a man to eat, drink, and be happy, since this will stay with him throughout his struggle all the days of his life, which God grants him on earth.

I saw all of it as the activity of God. Frankly, a human being cannot understand what happens on earth, because however hard a man works to discover it, he will not find out. Despite what he thinks he knows, he will not be able to figure it out.

"While someone is among the living, hope remains," because "it is better to be a living dog than to be a dead lion."

In addition, no human being knows his time: Like fish captured in a cruel net, or as birds caught in a snare, so also are human beings caught by bad timing that surprises them.

Now there was found within it a poor, but wise man. He delivered the city by his wisdom, but not one person remembered that poor man.

The softly spoken words of the wise are to be heard rather than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

Someone who quarries stone might be injured; someone splitting logs can fall into danger.

If someone's ax is blunt the edge isn't sharpened then more strength will be needed. Putting wisdom to work will bring success.

The words spoken by the wise are gracious, but the lips of a fool will devour him.

Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts. Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom. For a bird will fly by and tell what you say, or something with wings may talk about it.

Even if a person lives many years, let him enjoy them all, recalling that there will be many days of darkness to come all of which are pointless.

So enjoy yourself in your youth, young man, and be encouraged during your younger days. Live as you like, consistent with your world view, but keep in mind that God will bring you to account for everything.

The doors to the street will be shut when the sound of grinding decreases, when one wakes up at the song of a bird, and all of the singing women are silenced.

Moreover, besides being wise himself, the Teacher taught people what he had learned by listening, making inquiries, and composing many proverbs.

Sayings from the wise are like cattle prods and well fastened nails; this masterful collection was given by one shepherd.

Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is what it means to be human.