1 The words of the Teacher, "son of David, king in Jerusalem:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.10 Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.16 I said to myself, "Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

1 Verba Ecclesiast, filii David, regis Jerusalem. 2 [Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes ;vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas.3 Quid habet amplius homode universo labore suo quo laborat sub sole ?]4 [Generatio prterit, et generatio advenit ;terra autem in ternum stat.5 Oritur sol et occidit,et ad locum suum revertitur ;ibique renascens, 6 gyrat per meridiem, et flectitur ad aquilonem.Lustrans universa in circuitu pergit spiritus,et in circulos suos revertitur.7 Omnia flumina intrant in mare,et mare non redundat ;ad locum unde exeunt fluminarevertuntur ut iterum fluant.8 Cunct res difficiles ;non potest eas homo explicare sermone.Non saturatur oculus visu,nec auris auditu impletur.9 Quid est quod fuit ? Ipsum quod futurum est.Quid est quod factum est ? Ipsum quod faciendum est.10 Nihil sub sole novum,nec valet quisquam dicere : Ecce hoc recens est :jam enim prcessit in sculis qu fuerunt ante nos.11 Non est priorum memoria ;sed nec eorum quidem qu postea futura sunterit recordatio apud eos qui futuri sunt in novissimo.]12 [Ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Isral in Jerusalem ;13 et proposui in animo meo qurere et investigare sapienterde omnibus qu fiunt sub sole.Hanc occupationem pessimamdedit Deus filiis hominum, ut occuparentur in ea.14 Vidi cuncta qu fiunt sub sole,et ecce universa vanitas et afflictio spiritus.15 Perversi difficile corriguntur,et stultorum infinitus est numerus.16 Locutus sum in corde meo, dicens :Ecce magnus effectus sum, et prcessi omnes sapientiaqui fuerunt ante me in Jerusalem ;et mens mea contemplata est multa sapienter, et didici.17 Dedique cor meum ut scirem prudentiam atque doctrinam,erroresque et stultitiam ;et agnovi quod in his quoque esset labor et afflictio spiritus :18 eo quod in multa sapientia multa sit indignatio ;et qui addit scientiam, addit et laborem.]