<t /><p class="bodytext">The words of the Teacher,<n id="1" /> the son<n id="2" /> of David, king<n id="3" /> in Jerusalem:<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">I have observed the burdenp> <p class="poetry">that God has given to people<n id="1" /> to keep them occupied.p>

<p class="poetry">Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and your princes feast at the proper time<n id="2" /> &#8211; with self-control and not in drunkenness.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I purchased male and female slaves,p> <p class="poetry">and I owned slaves who were born in my house;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I also possessed more livestock &#8211; both herds and flocks &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I also amassed silver and gold for myself,p> <p class="poetry">as well as valuable treasures<n id="1" /> taken from kingdoms and provinces.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I acquired male singers and female singers for myself,p> <p class="poetry">and what gives a man sensual delight<n id="3" /> &#8211; a harem of beautiful concubines!<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">I also thought to myself, &#8220;It is<n id="1" /> for the sake of people,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">so God can clearly<n id="3" /> show<n id="4" /> them that they are like animals.p>

<p class="poetry">Who really knows if the human spirit<n id="1" /> ascends upward,p> <p class="poetry">and the animal&#8217;s spirit descends into the earth?p>

<p class="poetry">When<n id="1" /> a sentence<n id="2" /> is not executed<n id="3" /> at once against a crime,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">the human heart<n id="5" /> is encouraged to do evil.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">There is no end to the making<n id="2" /> of many books,p> <p class="poetry">and much study is exhausting to the body.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I decided<n id="1" /> to carefully<n id="2" /> and thoroughly examine<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">all that has been accomplished on earth.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="5" /> God has given people<n id="6" /> a burdensome task<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">that keeps them<n id="8" /> occupied.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought deeply<n id="1" /> about the effects of<n id="2" /> indulging<n id="3" /> myself<n id="4" /> with winep> <p class="poetry">(all the while<n id="5" /> my mind was guiding me<n id="6" /> with wisdom)<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">and the effects of<n id="8" /> behaving foolishly,<n id="9" />p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="10" /> I might discover what is profitable<n id="11" />p> <p class="poetry">for people<n id="12" /> to do on earth<n id="13" /> during the few days<n id="14" /> of their lives.p>

<p class="poetry">For the fate of humans<n id="1" /> and the fate of animals are the same:p> <p class="poetry">As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath.p> <p class="poetry">There is no advantage for humans over animals,p> <p class="poetry">for both are fleeting.p>

<p class="poetry">This is the unfortunate fact<n id="1" /> about everything that happens on earth:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the same fate awaits<n id="3" /> everyone.p> <p class="poetry">In addition to this, the hearts of all people<n id="4" /> are full of evil,p> <p class="poetry">and there is folly in their hearts during their lives &#8211; then they die.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Surely, no one<n id="1" /> knows his appointed time!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Like fish that are caught in a deadly<n id="3" /> net, and like birds that are caught in a snare &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">just like them, all people<n id="4" /> are ensnared<n id="5" /> at an unfortunate<n id="6" /> time that falls upon them suddenly.p>

<p class="poetry">A man who is all alone with no companion,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he has no children nor siblings;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yet there is no end to all his toil,p> <p class="poetry">and he<n id="3" /> is never satisfied with riches.p> <p class="poetry">He laments,<n id="4" /> &#8220;For whom am I toiling and depriving myself<n id="5" /> of pleasure?&#8221;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">This also is futile and a burdensome task!<n id="7" />p>