What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?

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

And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

I searched in my heart how to cherish my flesh with wine, while practising my heart with wisdom; and how to lay hold on folly, till I should see what was that good for the children of men which they should do under the heavens all the days of their life.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that it had cost me to do them; and behold, all was vanity and pursuit of the wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

And I hated all my labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured under the sun.

For what will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself under the sun?

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:

He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

And moreover I saw under the sun, that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.

I said to myself regarding the sons of men, “God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals.”

And I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors was power, and they had no comforter.

and more fortunate than both is he who hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

And I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him.

If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men—

For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool;
And this too is futility.

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.

So I gave praise to joy, because there is nothing better for a man to do under the sun than to take meat and drink and be happy; for that will be with him in his work all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

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.

Have joy with the woman of your love all the days of your foolish life which he gives you under the sun. Because that is your part in life and in your work which you do under the sun.

And again I saw under the sun that the reward goes not to him who is quick, or the fruits of war to the strong; and there is no bread for the wise, or wealth for men of learning, or respect for those who have knowledge; but time and chance come to all.

This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.