Chapter 1
1. Words of theEcclesiastes, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2. Vanity of vanities! said theEcclesiastesVanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain from all his toil at which he labors under the sun?
— The perpetual cycle of things. —
4 A generation passes away, a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets, and hurries back to its place, from where it rises again.
6 Going towards the south, turning towards the north, the wind turns again, and resumes the same circuits.
7 All rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which they flow they go on.
8 All things are wearisome, beyond what can be said; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 If there is anything of which one can say, "Look, this is new!", this thing has already existed in the centuries before us.
11 We do not remember what is old, and what will happen later will leave no memory among those who live later.
— Vanity of Wisdom. —
12 Me, theEcclesiastesI was king of Israel in Jerusalem,
13 and I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven: this is a grievous occupation which God lays down for the children of men to devote themselves to.
14 I have examined all the works that are done under the sun: and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have amassed and stored up wisdom more than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has gained ample wisdom and knowledge.”.
17 I applied my mind to know wisdom, and to know folly and madness; I perceived that this also is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Chapter 2
— Vanity of pleasures —
1 I said in my heart, »Come now, I will test you with pleasure; taste delight!» But behold, this too is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, »Nonsense!» and of joy, »What does it produce?«
3 I applied myself in my heart to give my flesh to wine, while my heart would lead me with wisdom, and to cling to folly, until I saw what is good for the children of men to do under heaven during the days of their lives.
4 I undertook great works, I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards;
5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and planted all kinds of fruit trees there;
6 I made myself water reservoirs, to water the groves Or The trees were growing.
7 I bought male and female servants, and I had their children born in the house; I also had herds of cattle and sheep, more than all those who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold, and the riches of kings and provinces; I procured male and female singers, and the delights of the children of men, women in abundance.
9 I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; and also my wisdom remained with me.
10 Whatever my eyes desired, I did not deny them; I withheld no joy from my heart; for my heart took pleasure in all my labor, and this was my portion in all my labor.
11 Then I considered all my works that my hands had done, and the labor that they had cost me; and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind, and there is no profit under the sun.
— The end of the wise man and the fool. —
12 So I turned my gaze toward wisdom to compare it with foolishness and madness. For who is the man who could come after the king, to whom this dignity has long been conferred?
13 And I saw that wisdom has as much advantage over folly as light has over darkness:
14 The wise man has his eyes to his head, and the fool walks in darkness.
And I also recognized that the same fate will befall them all two.
15 And I said in my heart, »The same fate as that of the fool will befall me also; what then is the use of all my wisdom?» And I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.”.
16 For the memory of the wise is no more eternal than that of the fool; from the days that follow, all two are also forgotten. What! The wise man dies just as easily as the fool!
17 And I hated life, for what is done under the sun is evil in my eyes, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
— Everyone must leave the fruits of their labor to others. —
18 And I hated all my work, which I did under the sun, and which I will leave to the man who will come after me.
19 And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will be master of my work, in which I have labored and used my wisdom under the sun. This too is vanity.
20 And I have come to give my heart over to discouragement, because of everything the work that I did under the sun.
21 For let a man who deployed in his work wisdom, intelligence and skill, leaving the fruit to share with a man who did not work there: that is still a vanity and a great evil.
22 For what does man gain from all his toil and the worrying of his heart, which weary him under the sun?
23 All her days are filled with sorrow, her occupations with grief; even at night her heart does not rest: this too is vanity.
— Conclusion —
24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his work; but I have seen that this also comes from the hand of God.
25 For who, without him, can eat and enjoy well-being?
26 For to the one who is good in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner, he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth, to be given to the one who is good in God's sight. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Chapter 3
— Man is at the mercy of events: Let him enjoy the well-being that God grants him. —
9 What is the benefit to the laborer of the effort he puts in?
10 I have examined the labor which God commands the children of men to undertake:
11 God He has made everything beautiful in its time, and has also set eternity in their hearts; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
12 And I recognized that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to enjoy life,
13 and at the same time that if a man eats and drinks, and enjoys well-being in the midst of his labor, this is a gift of God.
14 I have recognized that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does this so that people will fear him.
15 What is being done has already been, and what will be done has already been: God brings back what has passed away.
— The man delivered into the tyranny of the leaders. —
16 I saw again under the sun, that’at the very seat of law There is wickedness, and instead of justice, There is iniquity.
17 I said in my heart, »God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every activity and for every work.«
18 I said in my heart concerning the children of men:» That's how it happens., so that God may test them, and that they may see that they are in themselves similar to the animals.«
19 For the fate of the children of men East the fate of the beast: they share the same fate; as one dies, the other also dies, there is only one The same breath for all; man has no advantage over beast, for all is vanity.
20 Everything goes to one place; everything is out Dust, and everything returns to dust.
21 Who knows the breath of the children of men, which ascends upward, and the breath of the beast, which descends downward to the earth?
22 And I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to rejoice in their works, for this is their lot. For who will enable them to know what will happen after them?
Chapter 4
— Oppression of the weak; work inspired by jealousy; aimless work. —
1 I turned and saw all the oppressions that are committed under the sun: and behold, the oppressed are in tears, and no one comforts them! They are subjected to the violence of their oppressors, and no one comforts them!
2 And I have proclaimed that the dead who are already dead are happier than the living who are still alive,
3 And happier than both is he who has not yet come into existence, who has not seen the evil deeds that are committed under the sun.
4 I saw that all work and all skill in a work is only Jealousy against a man by his neighbor: this too is vanity and a chasing after the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
6 Better is a hand full of rest than two full of toil and chasing after the wind.
7 I turned around and saw a other vanity under the sun.
8 Such a man is alone and has no second, he has neither son nor brother, and Yet There is no end to all his work, and his eyes are Never satiated with riches: "For whom then do I labor, and deprive my soul of enjoyment?" This too is vanity, and a bad occupation.
— Sentences: Disadvantages of living alone. —
9 Better worth living Two is better than one; there is a good wage for both in their work;
10 For if they fall, one can help his companion up. But woe to him who is alone, and falls without having a second to help him up!
11 Likewise, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can a man keep warm alone!
12 And if someone overpowers the one who is alone, the two will be able to resist him, and the threefold cord is not easily broken.
— The futility of hopes based on a change of reign. —
13 Better is a poor but wise young man than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to listen to advice;
14 because he comes from prison to reign, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun near the young man who rose up in the place of the old king.
16 There was no end to all those people, to all those over whom he was stationed. And yet his descendants will not rejoice over him. This too is vanity and a chasing after the wind.
— Sentences concerning worship. —
17 Take heed to your foot when you go to the house of God; to approach and listen is better than to offer sacrifices like fools; for their ignorance leads them to do evil.
Chapter 5
1. Don't be in a hurry to’open with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty in uttering a word before God; for God is in heaven, and you are on earth: therefore let your words be few!
2 For out of the multitude of activities come dreams, and out of the multitude of words, foolish talk.
3 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for there is no favor for fools: what you vow, fulfill.
4 It is better for you not to vow, than to vow and not fulfill.
5 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 is an oversight: why should God be angry about your words, and destroy the work of your hands?
6 For as there is vanity in many pursuits, so there is also vanity in many words; therefore fear God.
— Princes and Kings —
7 If you see in a province the poor oppressed, and justice and righteousness violated, do not be astonished at the thing; for a more The great watches over the great, and even greater ones still watching on them.
8 An advantage for the country in every respect is a king who takes care of agriculture.
— Various disturbances in the enjoyment of wealth. —
9 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, and he who loves riches will not’in taste not the fruit; that too is vanity.
10 When goods multiply, so do those who consume them; and what advantage he comes back to their owners, unless they see them with their own eyes?
11 The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he has little or much to eat; but the satiety of the rich does not let him sleep.
12 It is a serious evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded to the misfortune of the one who possesses them:
13 These riches are lost through some unfortunate event, and, if he has fathered a son, he has nothing left nothing in my hands.
14 Just as he came from his mother’s womb, so he shall return naked, just as he came; and he shall receive nothing for his labor that he may carry in his hand:
15 This is also a grave evil, that he should go away as he came: and what advantage will it give him is he coming back Having worked for the wind?
16 Moreover, all his life he eats in darkness; he has much sorrow, suffering, and irritation.
17 Here SO What I saw was that he is good and suitable for man to eat and drink, and to enjoy well-being in all his work, which he undertakes under the sun, during the days of life that God gives him; for this is his lot.
18 Moreover, for everyone to whom God gives riches and possessions, with the power to eat them, to share in their wealth and to rejoice in their labor, it is there a gift from God.
19 Car SO He hardly thinks about the days of his life, because God spreads joy in his heart.
Chapter 6
— Woe to him who dies without having enjoyed his possessions. —
1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and this evil is great over man:
2 Such a man to whom God has given riches, treasures, and glory, and who lacks for his soul nothing that he could desire; but God does not allow him to enjoy them, for it is a stranger who enjoys them: this is vanity and a grave evil.
3 When a man has fathered a hundred son, He would have lived for many years, and the days of his years would have multiplied, if his soul had not been sated with happiness, and if he had not even had a burial, I say that’an abortion East happier than him.
4 For he came in vain, he goes into darkness, and darkness will cover his name;
5 He has neither seen nor known the sun, yet he has more rest than this man.
6 And even if he were to live two thousand years, without enjoying happiness, does not everything go to the same place?
7 All the work man's desires are for his mouth; but his desires are never satisfied.
8 For what advantage does the wise have over the fool? What advantage Is there a poor man who knows how to behave in front of the living?
9 What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desires. That too is vanity and a chasing after the wind.
10 Of everything that happens, the name is already spoken; we know what a man will be, and he cannot contend with who is stronger than he.
11 For there are many words which born make that’increasing vanity: what advantage he comes back to man?
12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the fleeting days of their existence, which pass away like a shadow? And who can tell a person what will happen under the sun after they are gone?
Chapter 7
— Sentences concerning the seriousness of life. —
1 A good name is better than good perfume, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for in the first appears the end of every man, and the living apply their heart to it.
3 Sadness is better than laughter, for a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools is in the house of joy.
5 It is better to heed the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under a cauldron is the laughter of fools: this too is vanity.
7 For oppression makes a wise person foolish, and bribes corrupt the heart.
— Sentences concerning patience. —
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a haughty spirit.
9 Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.
— Sayings about wisdom. —
10 Do not say, »Why were the former days better than these?» For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and profitable to those who see the sun.
12 For as money is a security, so is wisdom; but one advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who possess it.
— Uncertainty of the future, for the righteous as well as the wicked. —
13 Consider the work of God: who can straighten what he has bent?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out what is going to happen to him.
15 All this, I saw it in the day of my vanity: there is a righteous person who perishes in their righteousness, and there is a wicked person who prolongs their life. his life in his wickedness.
16 Do not be excessively righteous, nor be excessively wise: why would you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be foolish: why would you want to die before your time?
18 It is good that you hold fast to this, and that you do not let go of that, for he who fears God avoids all these excess.
— Sentences concerning moderation and clemency. —
19 Wisdom gives the wise person more strength than do not own ten chiefs who are in the city.
20 For there is no righteous person on earth who does good without Never sin.
21 Do not pay attention to all the things that are said, lest you hear your servant cursing you;
22 for your heart knows that many times you have also cursed others.
— Wisdom is inaccessible to man, but wickedness and immorality are folly. —
23 I recognized all this as true through wisdom; I said, “I will be wise!” but wisdom stayed away from me.
24 What is coming is distant, deep, deep: who can reach it?
25 I applied myself and my heart searched to know, to search out and to pursue the wisdom and reason of things, and I recognized that wickedness is madness, and that foolish conduct is delusion.
26 And I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is a snare and a net, and whose hands are fetters; he who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner will be entangled by her.
27 Look, I found this, said theEcclesiastes, considering things one by one to discover the reason, which my soul has constantly sought, without finding it: I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found one woman in the same number.
28 But look, I have found this: God made man upright, but they seek many subtleties.
Chapter 8
— Various sentences. —
1 Who is like the wise man, and who knows like him The explanation of things? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the roughness of his countenance is transfigured.
2 I I'm telling you Observe the king's orders, and that because of the oath made to God;
3 Do not be quick to leave him. Do not persist in evil; for whatever he wants, he can do;
4 For the word of the king is sovereign, and who will say to him, »What are you doing?«
5 He who observes the precept will not suffer harm, and the heart of the wise will know the time and the judgment.
6 For there is a time and a judgment for everything, because great is the evil who will fall on man.
7 He does not know what will happen, and who can tell him how it will happen?
8 Man is not master of her breath, for power to hold his breath, and he has no power over the day of his death; there is no exemption in this fight, and crime cannot save his man.
— The penalty. —
9 I have seen all these things, applying my heart to all the work that is done under the sun, in a time when one man rules over another to the latter's harm.
10 And then I saw wicked people receive burial and enter in their rest, while men who acted with righteousness go far from the holy place and are forgotten in the city; this too is vanity.
11 Because the sentence against evil deeds is not executed with all haste, for this reason the heart of the children of men is emboldened in them to do evil;
12 but, although the sinner does a hundred times the evil, and prolongs his days, I know that happiness belongs to those who fear God, who are in awe of his presence.
13 But there is no happiness for the wicked; and like a shadow, he will not prolong his days, because he does not fear God.
14 He is a other This is vanity that occurs on earth: There are righteous people to whom things happen that are fitting for the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom things happen that are fitting for the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is vanity.
15 So I rented joybecause there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry; and this is what should accompany him in his work, during the days of life that God gives him under the sun.
— Man's efforts before God —
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to consider the task that is being accomplished on earth—for neither day nor night’man he does not see sleep with his own eyes, —
17 I have seen all the works of God; I saw that man cannot find the work that is done under the sun; man tires himself out searching, and does not find; even if the wise man wants to know, he cannot find it.
Chapter 9
1 Indeed, I have taken all this to heart, and I have observed all this: That the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; man knows neither love nor hate: all is before them.
2 All things come alike to all: the same fate awaits the righteous and the wicked, the good and pure and the impure, those who sacrifice and those who do not. As it happens to the good, so it happens to the sinner; the one who swears an oath is like the one who fears to swear an oath.
3 It is an evil, among all that is done under the sun, that there should be one fate for all; therefore the hearts of the sons of men are full of malice, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after which they will among the dead.
4 For there is hope for the man who is among the living; better is a living dog than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and there is no more reward for them, because their memory is forgotten.
6 Already their love, their hatred, their envy have perished, and they will never again have any part in what is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart, since already God shows favor to your works.
8 Let your garments always be white, and let perfumed oil not fail on your head.
9 Enjoy life with a woman you love, all the days of your vain life that God He gave you under the sun, throughout all your vain days; for this is your portion in life and in the work that you do under the sun.
10 Whatever your hand can do, do it with your strength; for in Sheol, to which you are going, there is no more working, nor understanding, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.
— Effort and talent do not guarantee success. —
11 I turned and saw under the sun that the race is not for the swift, nor the war Neither bread to the valiant, nor wealth to the intelligent, nor favor to the learned; for time and accidents affect them all.
12 For man does not even know his hour, like fish that are caught in a fatal net, like birds that are caught in a snare; like them the children of men are snared in the time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.
13 I saw again under the sun this trait of wisdom, and this one seemed great to me.
14 There was a small town, with few men in its walls ; A powerful king came against it, besieged it, and built high towers against it.
15 And there was found there a poor but wise man, who saved the city by his wisdom. And no one remembered that poor man.
16 And I said, »Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor is despised, and their words are not heeded.«
17 The words of the wise, pronounced They are listened to calmly, better than the cries of a leader in the midst of madmen.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner can destroy much good.
Chapter 10
— Sayings concerning Wisdom and Folly. —
1 Dead flies infect and corrupt the perfumer's oil; likewise A little madness triumphs over wisdom and glory.
2 The heart of the wise is at his right hand, and the heart of the fool at his left.
3 And also, when the fool goes into the road, he lacks sense, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the prince's spirit rises against you, do not leave your place; for calmness prevents great errors.
— Effort and talent do not guarantee success; another example. —
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, like an error that comes from the ruler:
6. Madness occupies the high positions, and the rich sit in low positions.
7 I saw slaves doors on horses, and princes going on foot like slaves.
— Accidents and wisdom. —
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaks down a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 He who breaks down stones may be injured, and he who splits wood may hurt himself.
10 If the iron is dull and the edge has not been sharpened, one must redouble one's strength; but wisdom is preferable for success.
11 If the snake bites for lack of enchantment, there is no advantage for the enchanter.
— Wise and foolish. —
12 The words of the wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool devour him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his speech is furious madness.
14 And the fool multiplies words!… Man does not know what will happen, and who can tell him what will be after him?
15 The work He is weary of the fool, he who does not know even go to the city.
— Kings and princes. —
16 Woe to you, land whose king is a child, and whose princes eat in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, land whose king is the son of nobles, and whose princes eat at the proper time suitable, For support their forces, and not for indulge to the drink.
— Sloth and temperance. —
18 When hands are lazy, the framework sags, and when hands are loose, the house drips.
19 We make meals to enjoy pleasure; wine makes life joyful, and money answers everything.
— Reservations regarding the adults. —
20 Even in your thoughts do not curse the king, even in your bedroom do not curse the mighty one; for the bird of the air would carry him off your voice, and the winged animal would publish your words.
Chapter 11
— Cautious activity. —
1 Cast your bread upon the face of the waters, for after many days you will find it again;
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight: for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth.
3 When the clouds are filled with rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, it remains in the place where it fell.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who consults the clouds will not reap.
5 Since you don't know the path of the wind and how form the bones in the mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes all things.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not let your hand rest, for you do not know which will succeed, this or that, or whether both will not be equally good.
— Conclusion. May man enjoy the joys of life, permitted and given by God. —
7 The light is soft, and it is a pleasure for the eye to see the sun.
8 Though a man lives many years, let him rejoice throughout them all these years, and let him think of the days of darkness, for they will be many: all that happens is vanity.
9 Young man, rejoice in your youth; let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth! Walk in the ways of your heart, and according to the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
10 Banish sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; youth and adolescence are vanity.
Chapter 12
1 And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, »I have no pleasure in them;«
2 before the sun and the light, and the moon and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3 On the day when the guardians of the house tremble, when the strong men bow down, when those who grind cease because their number is diminished, when those who look out of windows grow dark,
4 where the two leaves of the door close onto the street, while the noise of the millstone fades; where one rises at the song of the bird, where all the daughters of song disappear;
5 where one fears the high places, where one has terrors on the way, where the almond tree blossoms, where the grasshopper becomes burdensome, and where the caper has no effect, for man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners roam the streets;
6 before the silver cord breaks, or the golden bulb shatters, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the pulley breaks and roll in the cistern;
7 and let the dust return to the earth, as it was; and let the spirit return to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, says Ecclesiastes, all is vanity.
— Epilogue —
9 Besides being a wise man, Ecclesiastes also taught the people knowledge; he weighed and searched, and he set forth a great number of proverbs.
10 L'Ecclesiastes He studied to find a pleasing language, and to write words of truth with accuracy.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and their collections like nails driven in; they are given by a single Pastor.
12 And when to more lyrics Let these things be warned, my son. Multiplying books would have no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.
13 The discourse has now been concluded: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will call in judgment bearing concerning all that is hidden, every work, whether good or bad.
