She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.

She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her female servants.

After looking at a field with care, she gets it for a price, planting a vine-garden with the profit of her work.

She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]
And makes her arms strong.

She sees that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out, but it burns continually through the night [she is prepared for whatever lies ahead].

She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

She makes linen robes and gets a price for them, and traders take her cloth bands for a price.

Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure;
And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].

She gives attention to the ways of her family, she does not take her food without working for it.

Fair looks are a deceit, and a beautiful form is of no value; but a woman who has the fear of the Lord is to be praised.

Give her credit for what her hands have made: let her be praised by her works in the public place.

What does a man gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?

One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.

The wind goes to the south, turning back again to the north; circling round for ever.

All floods run into the sea, and yet the sea is not filled: for look, unto what place the waters run, thence they come again.

Is there a thing, of which it can be said, See here, it is, new? Already, hath it been, for ages, it is something which was before us.

There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.

applied my mind to seek out and search for the knowledge of all things that are done under heaven. Such travail and labor hath God given to the children of men, to exercise themselves therein.

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

I said to myself, "Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."

And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.

I made pools to give water for the woods with their young trees.

I bought servants and maidens, and had a great household. As for cattle and sheep, I had more substance of them than all they that were before me in Jerusalem.

I gathered for myself also silver and gold, and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces: I got men singers and women singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all sorts.

Shortly, I was greater and in more worship, than all my predecessors in Jerusalem. For wisdom remained with me:

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.

Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.

As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, - but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.

Then thought I in my mind, "If it happeneth unto the fool as it doth unto me, what needeth me then to labour any more for wisdom?" So I confessed within my heart, that this also was but vanity.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!

So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

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

Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?

For all his days are but'sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time for birth and a time for death; a time for planting and a time for uprooting;

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

A time for weeping and a time for laughing; a time for sorrow and a time for dancing;

A time to take stones away and a time to get stones together; a time for kissing and a time to keep from kissing;

A time for search and a time for loss; a time to keep and a time to give away;

A time for undoing and a time for stitching; a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk;

a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

What profit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?

For as touching the travail and carefulness which God hath given unto men, I see that he hath given it them, to be exercised in it.

I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live.

And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him.

Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past.

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

I said to myself, “This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.”

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.

They go all unto one place, for as they be all of dust, so shall they all turn unto dust again.

For no one knows [whether] the spirit of a human ascends [to heaven] and [whether] the spirit of the beast descends to the ground!

Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him?

So my praise was for the dead who have gone to their death, more than for the living who still have life.

Then I saw all labor and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

The foolish man, folding his hands, takes the flesh of his body for food.

Better is a handful with quietness, than both hands full with toil and grasping for the wind.

There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then,'saith he , do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.

For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea, even in his kingdom he was born poor.

There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

For a dream cometh with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.

It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh for to sin, neither say thou before the angel that it is thy ignorance. For then God will be angry at thy voice, and destroy all the works of thine hands.

For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words: but fear thou God.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

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

For oft times they perish with his great misery and trouble: and if he have a child it getteth nothing.

As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.

For unto whomsoever God giveth riches, goods and power, he giveth it him to enjoy it, to take it for his portion, and to be refreshed of his labour: this is now the gift of God.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth 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.

for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!

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

For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.