Ecclesiastes
1 The words of the Proclaimer, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities! saith the Proclaimer, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
3 What profit hath Man,—in all his toil wherewith he toileth under the sun?
4 Generation goeth and generation cometh, but the earth unto times age-abiding remaineth.
5 And the sun breaketh forth, and the sun goeth in,—yea unto his own place he panteth from whence he brake forth.
6 Going unto the south, and circling unto the north,—circling, circling continually is the wind, and over its own circuits returneth the wind.
7 All the streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full,—unto the place whither the streams flow thither do they again flow.
8 All words are weak, unable is any man to tell,—not satisfied is the eye by seeing, nor filled is the ear with hearing.
9 That which hath been is the same that shall be, and that which hath been done is the same that shall be done,—and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 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.
11 There is no remembrance of the things before,—nor even of the things after which shall be will there be any remembrance, with them who shall come after.
12 I the Proclaimer was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I gave my heart to seek and to search out wisely, concerning all things which are done under the heavens,—the same is the vexatious employment God hath given to the sons of men to work toilsomely therein.
14 I saw all the works which were done under the sun,—and lo! all was vanity and a feeding on wind.
15 That which is crooked cannot be straight,—and that which is wanting cannot be reckoned.
16 Spake I in my heart, saying, As for me lo! I have become great and have gathered wisdom, beyond any one who hath been before me over Jerusalem,—and my heart hath seen much wisdom and knowledge:
17 yea I have given my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly,—I know that even this is a feeding on wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,—and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth pain.