Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole is vanity.

I said in my heart, 'Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it is vanity.

Of laughter I said, 'Foolish!' and of mirth, 'What is this it is doing?'

and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this is vanity:

I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time is to every matter and for every work there.'

I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves are beasts.

If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, 'Better than he is the untimely birth.'

All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it is far from me.

See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

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.

And I said, 'Better is wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' --

And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He is a fool.'

Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole is vanity.