Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

What is the profit to a man in all his labor which he labors under the sun?

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, there they return again.

All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

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.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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

And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I know that this also is vexation of spirit.

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

I said in my heart, Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore consider and behold goodness; this also is vanity.

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

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit; and there is no profit under the sun.

Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.

The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness; and I also knew that one event happens to all of them.

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

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!

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is done under the sun is sad to me; for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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.

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

For all his days are sorrows, and his labor sadness; yea, his heart does not take rest in the night. This is also vanity.

Is it not good that he should eat and drink and make his soul see good in his labor? This I also saw, that it was from the hand of God.

For God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives labor, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens:

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

I know that there is no good in them, but to rejoice and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.

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

I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts, even one thing happens to them. As this one dies, so that one dies; yea, they all have one breath; so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity.

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?

Yea, better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

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.

Better is a hand filled with rest than two fists with travail and vexation of spirit.

There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he has neither son nor brother; yet there is no end to all his labor; and his eyes are not satisfied with riches; and he says, For whom do I labor and take good from my soul? This is also vanity. Yes, it is an evil business.

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he does not have another to help him.

And if one overthrows him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

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

There is no end of all the people, of all who have been before them; they also who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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.

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

If you see the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter. For He who is higher than the highest watches; and there are some higher than they.

And the advantage of a land, it is for all; even a king has a field being tilled.

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

When the good thing increases, those who eat it increase; then what profit is it to its owners, except to see it with their eyes?

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

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for their owners to their hurt.

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

As he came forth from his mother's womb naked, he shall return to go as he came. And from his labor he may not carry anything that may go in his hand.

And this also is a sore evil, that in all, as he came, so shall he go; and what profit does he have who has labored for the wind?

Behold that which I have seen. it is good and right for one to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labor that he labors under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him; for it is his portion.

Also every man 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.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is great among men:

a man to whom God has given 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 a stranger eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

If a man fathers a hundred, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, and his soul is not filled with good, and also is for him no burial; I say, a miscarriage is better than he.

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

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

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

That which has been is named already, and it is known that he is man. And he is not able to contend with Him who is mightier than he.

For there are many things that increase vanity, and what is man the better?

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?

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's 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.

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

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of laughter.

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

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool; this also is vanity.

Surely oppression makes a wise man mad; and a bribe destroys the heart.

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance; but it is gain to those who see the sun.

For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

All things I have seen in the days of my vanity; there is a just one who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked one who prolongs life in his wickedness.

It is good that you should take hold of this; yea, also from this do not withdraw your hand; for he who fears God shall come forth from all of them.

Wisdom makes the wise stronger than ten mighty ones who are in the city.

For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

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

That which is far off and exceedingly deep, who can find it out?

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.

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.

Because the word of a king is that which has power; and who may say to him, What are you doing?

Whoever keeps the command shall feel no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knows both time and judgment.

Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great on him.

There is no man who has power over the spirit to keep the spirit; nor power in the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war; nor shall wickedness deliver its owners.

All this I have seen, and I gave my heart to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

And so I saw the wicked buried, and they came and went from the holy place. And they were forgotten in the city, these things that they had done. This is also vanity.

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 on the earth: There are just ones to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked ones to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

When I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth; for neither day nor night do men see sleep with their eyes.

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.

All happens alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices, and to him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner. He who swears is as he who fears an oath.

This is an evil among all things that are 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.

For whoever is chosen, to all those 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 do not know anything, nor do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; nor do they any longer have a part forever in all that is done under the sun.

Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now is pleased with your works.

Look on life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity. For that is your share in this life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go.