Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.

All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.

All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.

There is a thing of which one saith: 'See this, it is new!' already it hath been in the ages that were before us!

There is not a remembrance of former generations; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.

I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It is a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit!

A crooked thing one is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.

I -- I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.

And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this is vexation of spirit;

for, in abundance of wisdom is abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'

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?'

I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly till that I see where is this -- the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.

I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.

I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.

I made for me pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.

I got men-servants, and maid-servants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance -- herd and flock -- above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.

I gathered for me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for me men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man -- a wife and wives.

And I became great, and increased above every one who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood with me.

And all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from all my labour,

and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!

And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what is the man who cometh after the king? that which is already -- they have done it!

And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the darkness.

The wise! -- his eyes are in his head, and the fool in darkness is walking, and I also knew that one event happeneth with them all;

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:

And I have hated life, for sad to me is the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit.

And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.

And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also is vanity.

And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it -- his portion! Even this is vanity and a great evil.

For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?

There is nothing good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.

For who eateth and who hasteth out more than I?

For to a man who is good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this is vanity and vexation of spirit.

To everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:

A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.

A time to slay, 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 skip.

A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.

A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.

A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.

A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.

I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,

yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it is a gift of God.

I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.

And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment -- there is the wicked; and the place of righteousness -- there is the wicked.

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.

Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?

And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it is his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?

And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors is power, and they have no comforter.

And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.

And better than both of them is he who hath not yet been, in that he hath not seen the evil work that hath been done under the sun.

And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Better is a handful with quietness, than two handfuls with labour and vexation of spirit.'

And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:

There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and he saith not, 'For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.

The two are better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labour.

For if they fall, the one raiseth up his companion, but woe to the one who falleth and there is not a second to raise him up!

Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who hath not known to be warned any more.

For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor.

I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who doth stand in his place;

there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Keep thy feet when thou goest unto a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know they do evil.

Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few.

For the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.

When thou vowest a vow to God, delay not to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which thou vowest -- complete.

If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones are over them.

And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served.

Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied with silver, nor he who is in love with stores with increase. Even this is vanity.

There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.

And this also is a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage is to him who laboureth for wind?

Lo, that which I have seen: It is good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one's labour that he laboureth at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God hath given to him, for it is his portion.

Every man also to whom God hath given wealth and riches, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is great on man:

A man to whom God giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

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.'

And though he had lived a thousand years twice over, yet good he hath not seen; to the same place doth not every one go?

For what advantage is to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?

What is that which hath been? already is its name called, and it is known that it is man, and he is not able to contend with him who is stronger than he.

For who knoweth what is good for a man in life, the number of the days of the life of his vanity, and he maketh them as a shadow? for who declareth to man what is after him under the sun?

Better is a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.

Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth it unto his heart.

The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.

Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than for a man to hear a song of fools,

For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So is the laughter of a fool, even this is vanity.

Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.

Better is the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better is the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.

For wisdom is a defense, money is a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom is, She reviveth her possessors.

See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?

In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.

The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging himself in his wrong.

Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?

The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.