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The words of Qohelet, son of Daviyd, king in Yerushalayim.
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Vapor of vapors, says Qohelet. Vapor of vapors— everything is vapor.
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What profit does Adam have from all his labor with which he labors under the sun?
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A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth stands forever.
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The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens toward its place where it rises again.
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The wind goes toward the south and turns around toward the north. Turning, turning, the wind goes, and upon its circuits the wind returns.
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All the rivers go toward the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers go, there they return to go again.
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All things are wearisome. An ish is not able to speak it fully. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing.
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What has been is what shall be, and what has been done is what shall be done. There is nothing new under the sun.
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Is there a matter of which one may say, “See, this is new”? It already existed in the ages that were before us.
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There is no remembrance of the former things, and neither shall there be remembrance of the things to come among those who shall come afterward.
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I, Qohelet, was king over Yisra’el in Yerushalayim.
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And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens. It is an evil task Elohim has given to the sons of Adam to be occupied with it.
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I saw all the works that are done under the sun, and see— everything is vapor and pursuit of wind.
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What is twisted cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
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I spoke with my own heart, saying: “See, I have become great and increased in wisdom above all who were before me over Yerushalayim. And my heart has seen abundance of wisdom and knowledge.”
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And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and foolishness. I perceived that this also is pursuit of wind.
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For in abundance of wisdom is abundance of grief, and the one who increases knowledge increases sorrow.