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 thing 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.