The sun also arises, and the sun goes down and hastens to its place where it arises.

The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually in its course, and the wind returns again to its circuits.

All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from where the rivers come, there they go again.

There is no remembrance of the former [things], nor shall there be any remembrance of the latter that are to come, among those who shall come after.

And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. It is a great tribulation that God has given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

I said of laughter, It is mad, and of mirth, What does it do?

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine (my heart yet guiding [me] with wisdom), and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of th

I made for me pools of water, to water from there the forest where trees were reared.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after 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] who comes after the king? [Even] that which has been done long ago.

The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.

Then said I in my heart, As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me, and why then was I more wise? Then said I in my heart that this also is vanity.

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

So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous to me. For all is vanity and a striving after wind.

And I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who shall be after me.

Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skillfulness, yet he shall leave it to a man who has not labored in it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

For to the man who pleases him [God] gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted,

a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up,

a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance,

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to seek, and a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away,

a time to tear, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak,

a time to love, and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace.

I have seen the travail which God has given to the sons of men to be employed therewith.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also he has set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good as long as they live.

I know that, whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. And God has done it that men should fear before him.

That which is, has been long ago, and that which is to be, has long ago been. And God seeks again that which has passed away.

All go to one place. All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?

Therefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him [back] to see what shall be after him?

Keep thy foot when thou go to the house of God, for to draw near to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they know not that they do evil.

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 thou vow a vow to God, defer not to pay it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou vow.

Do not allow thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say thou before the [heavenly] agent, that is was an error. Why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?

When goods increase, they are increased who eat them. And what advantage is there to the owner of it, except the beholding [of them] with his eyes?

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches [were] kept by the owner of it to his hurt.

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be fitting is [for a man] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor in which he labors under the sun all the days of his life which God has given him, for this is his p

Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God.

A man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

Yea, though he lives a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoys no good, do not all go to one place?

For what advantage has the wise man more than the fool? What has the poor man, who knows how to walk before the living?

A [good] name is better than precious oil, and the day of death, than the day of birth.

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart.

It is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Say thou not, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thou do not inquire wisely concerning this.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider. Yea, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise. Why should thou destroy thyself?

Do not much wrong, nor be thou a fool. Why should thou die before thy time?

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

Also do not take heed to all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.

I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

Behold, I have found this, says the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account,

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

Be not hasty to go out of his presence. Persist not in an evil matter, for he does whatever pleases him.

For the king's word [has] power, and who may say to him, What are thou doing?

For to every purpose there is a time and decision, although the distress of man is great upon him.

There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, nor has he power over the day of death. And there is no discharge in war. Neither shall wickedness deliver him who is given to it.

All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun. [There is] a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked, again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that

Then I commended joy, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be cheerful. For that shall abide with him in his labor [all] the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is he who sees sleep with his eyes neither day nor night),

then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea moreover, though a wise man thinks to know it, yet he

For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God. No man understands, either love or hatred. All is before them.

All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous man and to the wicked man, to the good man and to the clean man and to the unclean man, to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice, as is the good man,

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead.

Because to him who is joined with all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything, nor have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Whatever thy hand finds to do, do with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where thou go.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill, but time and chance happens t

I have also seen wisdom under the sun this way, and it seemed great to me:

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor, [so] a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Yea also, when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone [that] he is a fool.

If the iron be blunt, and he does not whet the edge, then he must increase strength. But wisdom is advantageous to make right.

The labor of fools wearies every one of them, for he knows not how to go to the city.

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy rulers feast in the morning!

Happy are thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy rulers feast in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

Give a portion to seven, yea, even to eight, for thou know not what evil shall be upon the earth.

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.

in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows shall be darkened,

yea, they shall be afraid of height, and terrors [shall be] in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail, because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly--words of truth.