1 Divrei Kohelet, Ben Dovid, Melech in Yerushalayim.

2 Hevel havalim, saith Kohelet,

hevel havalim, all is hevel.

3 What profit hath a man from all his amal (toil)

which he hath toiled under the shemesh?

4 Dor v'dor, generations come and go, passing away;

but ha'aretz remaineth l'olam.

5 The shemesh also ariseth, and the shemesh goeth down,

and hasteth to its place, there to arise again.

6 The ruach (wind) goeth toward the darom (south),

and turneth about unto the tzafon (north);

it whirleth about continually,

and the ruach returneth again according to its circuits.

7 All the nechalim (rivers) run into the yam;

yet the yam is not full;

unto the place from whence the nechalim come,

thither they return to go again.

8 All things are wearisome;

no ish can express it;

the ayin is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ozen full with hearing.

9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be;

and that which is done is that which shall be done;

and there is nothing chadash under the shemesh.

10 Is there anything whereof it may be said:

See, this is chadash?

L'olamim (ages ago), which were before us,

it hath been already.

11 There is no zichron (remembrance) of former things;

neither shall there be

with those who come after any zikaron (recollection)

of things that are to come.

12 I, Kohelet, was Melech over Yisroel in Yerushalayim. 13 And I set my lev to seek and search out by chochmah concerning all things that are done under Shomayim; what grievous task hath Elohim given to the bnei haAdam to be afflicted therewith. 14 I have seen all the ma'asim that are done under the shemesh; and, hinei, all is hevel and chasing after ruach (wind).

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight;

and chesron (that which is lacking) cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine own lev, saying: Hinei, I am come to greatness, even greater chochmah than all they that have been before me over Yerushalayim; yea, my lev had great experience of chochmah and da'as. 17 And I applied my lev to have da'as of chochmah, and to have da'as of holelot (madness) and sichlut (folly); I perceived that this also is striving after ruach (wind).

18 For in much chochmah (wisdom) is much ka'as (grief, vexation);

and he that increaseth da'as increaseth mach'ov (sorrow).