That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been in days of old, which were before us.

There is no memory of former things, and also no memory of after things which shall be; for neither shall be a remembrance of them with those who will be at the afterwards.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all which is done under the heavens. It is a sad task God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it.

What is crooked cannot be made straight; and that lacking cannot be numbered.

I sought in my heart to drag my flesh with wine, yet leading my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, until I might see where the good for the sons of men might be, what they should do under the heavens all the days of their life.

For there is no memory of the wise more than of the fool forever, since that which is now shall all be forgotten in the days to come. And how does the wise die above the fool!

Yes, I hated all my labor which I had done under the sun; that I must leave it to the man who shall be after me.

And who knows whether he shall be wise or a fool? Yet he shall have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and acted wisely under the sun. This is also vanity.

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pull up what is planted;

I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it.

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God does it so that they fear before Him.

That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past.

Therefore I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what shall be after him?

Again, I considered all labor, and every right work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone?

A poor and a wise child is better than an old and foolish king, who will not be warned any more.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they do not know that they are doing evil.

Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be hasty to say a word before God. For God is in Heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

For a dream comes through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice by the multitude of words.

When you vow a vow to God, do not wait to pay it. For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you have vowed.

it is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.

Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; do not say before the angel that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, and he who loves abundance not with gain. This is also vanity.

But those riches perish by evil use. And he brings forth a son, and nothing is in his hand.

For he comes in with vanity and goes out in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow? For who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made better.

Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry; for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity take note that God also has set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

Do not be righteous overmuch, neither make yourself overwise; why destroy yourself?

Do not be very wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die before your time?

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

and I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands like bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

Behold, this I have found, says the Preacher, counting one by one, to find out the sum,

Who is as the wise? And who knows the meaning of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Do not be hasty to leave his presence. Do not take a stand in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.

For he does not know what shall be; for who can tell him when it shall be?

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days be made longer, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

But it shall not be well with the wicked, nor shall he make his days longer like a shadow; because he does not fear before God.

Then I praised gladness, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be glad; for that shall go with him of his labor for the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

Then I looked at all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labors to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea, further, though a wise one speaks of knowing, yet he shall not be able to find it.

For all this I took to heart, even to make all this clear, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. No man knows either love or hatred by all that is before them.

Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment.

And a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that poor man.

Whoever removes stones shall be hurt with them. He who splits wood shall be endangered by it.

A fool also makes many words; a man knows not what they shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

By slothfulness the building decays; and through lowering of the hands the house leaks.

Give a share to seven, and also to eight; for you know not what evil shall be on the earth.

If the clouds are full of rain, they empty on the earth; and if the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be.

In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know what shall be blessed, either this or that, or whether they both shall be fruitful in the same way.

but if a man lives many years, and rejoices in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and you shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music are silenced;

also they are afraid of the high place, and terrors along the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;

The preacher sought to find out pleasing words; and words of truth written by the upright.

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