1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled 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 no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
12 ¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
1 Ῥήματα Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυιδ
βασιλέως Ισραηλ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ.
2 Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής,
ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης.
3 τίς περισσεία τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ
ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον;
4 γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται,
καὶ ἡ γῆ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἕστηκεν.
5 καὶ ἀνατέλλει ὁ ἥλιος καὶ δύνει ὁ ἥλιος
καὶ εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ ἕλκει·
6 ἀνατέλλων αὐτὸς ἐκεῖ πορεύεται πρὸς νότον καὶ
κυκλοῖ πρὸς βορρᾶν·
κυκλοῖ κυκλῶν, πορεύεται τὸ πνεῦμα,
καὶ ἐπὶ κύκλους αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέφει τὸ πνεῦμα.
7 πάντες οἱ χείμαρροι, πορεύονται εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν,
καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔσται ἐμπιμπλαμένη·
εἰς τόπον, οὗ οἱ χείμαρροι πορεύονται,
ἐκεῖ αὐτοὶ ἐπιστρέφουσιν τοῦ πορευθῆναι.
8 πάντες οἱ λόγοι ἔγκοποι·
οὐ δυνήσεται ἀνὴρ τοῦ λαλεῖν,
καὶ οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ ὁρᾶν,
καὶ οὐ πληρωθήσεται οὖς ἀπὸ ἀκροάσεως.
9 τί τὸ γεγονός, αὐτὸ τὸ γενησόμενον·
καὶ τί τὸ πεποιημένον, αὐτὸ τὸ ποιηθησόμενον·
καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν πᾶν πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
10 ὃς λαλήσει καὶ ἐρεῖ Ἰδὲ τοῦτο καινόν ἐστιν,
ἤδη γέγονεν ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν
τοῖς γενομένοις ἀπὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν.
11 οὐκ ἔστιν μνήμη τοῖς πρώτοις,
καί γε τοῖς ἐσχάτοις γενομένοις
οὐκ ἔσται αὐτοῖς μνήμη
μετὰ τῶν γενησομένων εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην.
12 Ἐγὼ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς ἐγενόμην
βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Ισραηλ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ·
13 καὶ ἔδωκα τὴν καρδίαν μου τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι
καὶ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ περὶ πάντων
τῶν γινομένων ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν·
ὅτι περισπασμὸν πονηρὸν
ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ.
14 εἶδον σὺν πάντα τὰ ποιήματα
τὰ πεποιημένα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον,
καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.
15 διεστραμμένον οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμηθῆναι,
καὶ ὑστέρημα οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ ἀριθμηθῆναι.
16 ἐλάλησα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου τῷ λέγειν
Ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ ἐμεγαλύνθην
καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν,
οἳ ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ιερουσαλημ,
καὶ καρδία μου εἶδεν πολλά, σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν.
17 καὶ ἔδωκα καρδίαν μου τοῦ γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν,
παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἔγνων,
ὅτι καί γε τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν προαίρεσις πνεύματος·
18 ὅτι ἐν πλήθει σοφίας πλῆθος γνώσεως,
καὶ ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν προσθήσει ἄλγημα.