The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.

A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.

Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.

if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!

If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.

Everyone shares the same fate – the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.

A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!

I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die.

The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth – even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night –

So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.

The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her.

Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city.

For he came out of prison to become king, even though he had been born poor in what would become his kingdom.

Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore, fear God!