The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.

All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.

That which has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will be done, and there is no new thing under the sun.

And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.

I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.

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.

Hate had I for all my work which I had done, because the man who comes after me will have its fruits.

And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

What does a man get for all his work, and for the weight of care with which he has done his work under the sun?

A time to put to death and a time to make well; a time for pulling down and a time for building up;

I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him.

Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth?

And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.

Yes, happier than the dead or the living seemed he who has not ever been, who has not seen the evil which is done under the sun.

And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.

All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.

And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.

This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that--to the dead.

Their love and their hate and their envy are now ended; and they have no longer a part for ever in anything which is done under the sun.

There was a little town and the number of its men was small, and there came a great king against it and made an attack on it, building works of war round about it.

Now there was in the town a poor, wise man, and he, by his wisdom, kept the town safe. But no one had any memory of that same poor man.

The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.

When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

If the clouds are full of rain, they send it down on the earth; and if a tree comes down to the south, or the north, in whatever place it comes down, there it will be.

In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;