1Divrei Kohelet, Ben Dovid, Melech in Yerushalayim.

2Hevel havalim, saith Kohelet,
hevel havalim, all is hevel.

3What profit hath a man from all his amal (toil)
which he hath toiled under the shemesh?

4Dor v'dor, generations come and go, passing away;
but ha'aretz remaineth l'olam.

5The shemesh also ariseth, and the shemesh goeth down,
and hasteth to its place, there to arise again.

6The 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.

7All 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.

8All things are wearisome;
no ish can express it;
the ayin is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ozen full with hearing.

9The 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.

10Is there anything whereof it may be said:
See, this is chadash?
L'olamim (ages ago), which were before us,
it hath been already.

11There 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.

12I, Kohelet, was Melech over Yisroel in Yerushalayim.

13And 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.

14I have seen all the ma'asim that are done under the shemesh; and, hinei, all is hevel and chasing after ruach (wind).

15That which is crooked cannot be made straight;
and chesron (that which is lacking) cannot be numbered.

16I 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.

17And 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).

18For in much chochmah (wisdom) is much ka'as (grief, vexation);
and he that increaseth da'as increaseth mach'ov (sorrow).