~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ ~~~~~~1~~~~~ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” What advantage does man have in all his labor In which he labors under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth stands forever. Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again. Going toward the south, Then circling toward the north, The wind goes circling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers go into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers go, There they continually go. All things are wearisome; Man is not able to speak of it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has been for ages Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will be, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still. I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous endeavor which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I spoke within my heart, saying, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my heart has seen an abundance of wisdom and knowledge.” And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and simpleminded folly; I came to know that this also is striving after wind. Because in much wisdom there is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain.

~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ ~~~~~~2~~~~~ I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” I explored with my heart how to stimulate my body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize simpleminded folly, until I could see where is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. I made my works great: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself; I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made for myself pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines. Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and striving after wind, and there was no advantage under the sun. So I turned to see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? And I saw that there is an advantage in wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the fate of one becomes the fate of all of them. Then I said in my heart, “As is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” For there is no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man dies with the fool! So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a man of simpleminded folly? Yet he will have power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, then he gives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. For what does a man get in all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his endeavor is painful and vexing; even at night his heart does not lie down. This too is vanity. There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of Him? For to a man who is good before Him, He has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good before God. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ ~~~~~~3~~~~~ There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to lose; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. What advantage is there to the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the endeavor which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will be forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it—God has so worked that men should fear Him. That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued. Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. I said in my heart, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every work is there. I said in my heart concerning the sons of men, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same fate for each of them. As one dies so dies the other, and they all have the same breath. So there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust, and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be glad in his works, for that is his portion. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?

~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ ~~~~~~4~~~~~ Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I lauded the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who never has been, who has never seen the evil work that is done under the sun. I have seen that every labor and every success of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. The fool folds his hands in embrace and consumes his own flesh. One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind. Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. There was a certain man without a second man, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches—“And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of good?” This too is vanity, and it is a grievous endeavor. Two are better than one because they have good wages for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can stand against him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive warning. For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. I have seen all the living who walk about under the sun go along with the second lad who stands in place of him. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be glad with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ ~~~~~~5~~~~~ Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty with your mouth or impulsive in your heart to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven but you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through abundant endeavor and the voice of a fool through abundant words. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and wreak destruction on the work of your hands? For in many dreams and vanities are many words. Rather, fear God. If you see oppression of the poor and robbery of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished over the matter; for a lofty one keeps watch over another lofty one, and there are loftier ones over them. But the advantage of the land in everything is this—a king committed to a cultivated field. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its produce. This too is vanity. When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the success to their masters except to look on with their eyes? The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the satisfaction of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their master to his own evil demise. And those riches were lost through a bad endeavor; and he became the father of a son, but there was nothing in his hand for him. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will carry nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can bring in his hand. This also is a sickening evil—exactly as a man came, so will he go. So what is the advantage to him who labors for the wind? Also, all his days he eats in darkness with much vexation, and his sickness and anger. Here is what I have seen to be good, which is beautiful: to eat, to drink, and to see good in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to take up his portion and be glad in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not remember much the days of his life because God allows him to occupy himself with the gladness of his heart.

~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ ~~~~~~6~~~~~ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men— a man to whom God gives riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God does not empower him to eat from them, for a foreigner eats from them. This is vanity and a sickening evil. If a man becomes the father of one hundred children and lives many years, however many the days of his years may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things, and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he, for that one comes in vanity and goes into darkness; and that one’s name is covered in darkness. “Indeed, that one never sees the sun and never knows anything; that one has more rest than he. “Even if the other man lives one thousand years twice and does not see good things—do not all go to the same place?” All a man’s labor is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not fulfilled. For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the afflicted man have, knowing how to walk before the living? What the eyes see is better than what the soul goes after. This too is vanity and striving after wind. Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; and he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. For there are many words which increase vanity. What then is the advantage to a man? For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few days of his vain life? He will make do with them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~ ~~~~~~7~~~~~  Better is a good name than good oil, And better is the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth. Better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting Because that is the end of all mankind, And the living puts this in his heart. Better is vexation than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be merry. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the heart of fools is in the house of gladness. Better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools. For as the crackling sound of thorn bushes under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool; And this too is vanity. For oppression gives a wise man over to madness, And a bribe destroys the heart. Better is the end of a matter than its beginning; Better is patience of spirit than haughtiness of spirit. Do not be eager in your spirit to be vexed, For vexation rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this. Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage to those who see the sun. For wisdom is a shadow of protection as money is a shadow of protection, And the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its masters. See the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day when there is good be of good cheer, But in the day when there is evil see— God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not find out anything that will be after him. I have seen everything during my days of vanity; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you make yourself desolate? Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a simpleminded fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you seize one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten men with power who are in a city. Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. Also, do not give your heart to all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your slave cursing you. For your heart also knows that you likewise have many times cursed others. I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. What has been is far away and exceedingly deep. Who can find it? I turned my heart to know, to explore, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the wickedness of foolishness and the simpleminded folly of madness. And I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is good before God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her. “See, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which my soul still seeks but has not found. I have found one man out of a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these. “See, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ ~~~~~~8~~~~~ Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines his face and causes his stern face to beam. I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the sworn oath before God. “Do not be in a hurry to go from his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Since the word of the king is powerful, who will say to him, “What are you doing?” He who keeps a royal command experiences no evil thing, for a wise heart knows the proper time and custom. For there is a proper time and custom for every matter, though a man’s trouble is multiplied upon him. If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? There is no man who has power to restrain the wind with the wind, and there is none who has power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and wickedness will not provide escape to its masters. All this I have seen and given my heart to every work that has been done under the sun wherein a man has power over another man to his calamity. So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may prolong his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the wicked man, and he will not prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God openly. There is vanity which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the works of the wicked. On the other hand, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the works of the righteous. I say that this too is vanity. So I laud gladness, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will join with him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the endeavor which has been done on the earth (even though one never sees sleep with his eyes day or night), and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot find out the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not find it out; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot find it out.

~~~~~~9~~~~~ ~~~~~~9~~~~~ ~~~~~~9~~~~~ ~~~~~~9~~~~~ ~~~~~~9~~~~~ For I have given all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their service are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything may be before him. It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is confidence; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will never again have a portion in all that is done under the sun. Go then, eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. See life with the woman whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He has given to you under the sun—all the days of your vanity; for this is your portion in life and in your labor in which you have labored under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no working or explaining or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the mighty, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to the discerning nor favor to men who know; for time and misfortune overtake them all. Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish seized in an evil net and birds seized in a trap, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me. There was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and built large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he provided a way of escape for the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in restfulness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

~~~~~~10~~~~~ ~~~~~~10~~~~~ ~~~~~~10~~~~~ ~~~~~~10~~~~~ ~~~~~~10~~~~~ Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. Even when the simpleminded fool walks along the road, his heart lacks wisdom, and he says to all that he is a simpleminded fool. If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because calmness causes great offenses to be abandoned. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake which goes forth from the one in power— folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land. He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no advantage for the charmer. Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a fool swallow him up; the beginning of the words of his mouth is simpleminded folly, and the end of what comes from his mouth is evil madness. Yet the simpleminded fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him? The labor of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. Woe to you, O land, whose king is a young man and whose princes eat in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for might and not for drinking. Through indolence the beams sag, and through slack hands the house leaks. Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine makes life glad, and money is the answer to everything. Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the sky will bring the sound and the winged creature will tell the matter.

~~~~~~11~~~~~ ~~~~~~11~~~~~ ~~~~~~11~~~~~ ~~~~~~11~~~~~ ~~~~~~11~~~~~ Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what calamity may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they empty the rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who works all things. Sow your seed in the morning and do not put your hands down in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good. The light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him be glad in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be vanity. Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sights of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove vexation from your heart and put away evil from your flesh because childhood and the prime of life are vanity.

~~~~~~12~~~~~ ~~~~~~12~~~~~ ~~~~~~12~~~~~ ~~~~~~12~~~~~ ~~~~~~12~~~~~ Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days happen and the years draw near in which you will say, “I have no delight in them”; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and valiant men bend down, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dark; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blooms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home, but the mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is broken and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!” In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and words of truth written uprightly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But in addition to this, my son, be warned: the making of many books is endless, and much devotion to books is wearying to the flesh. The end of the matter, all that has been heard: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the end of the matter for all mankind. For God will bring every work to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
