(These are) the words of the Teacher , the son of David , king in Jerusalem :
“ Futility of futilities , ” says the Teacher , “ futility of futilities ! Everything is futile ! ”
What does a man gain from all his labor , at which he toils under the sun ?
Generations come and generations go , but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets ; it hurries back ... to where it rises.
The wind blows vvv southward , then turns vvv northward ; round (and) round it swirls , ever returning on (its) course.
All the rivers flow into the sea , yet the sea is never full ; to the place from which the streams come , there again they flow.
All things are wearisome , more ... than one can describe ; the eye is not satisfied with seeing , nor the ear content with hearing.
What has been vvv will be again , and what has been done - will be done again ; there is nothing ... new under the sun.
Is there (a case) where one can say ... , “ Look , this is new ”? It has already existed in the ages - - before us.
There is no remembrance of those who came before ... , and those yet to come will not be ... remembered by those who follow after.
I , the Teacher , was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
And I set - my mind to seek and explore by wisdom ... all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them
I have seen - all the things that are done under the sun , and have found them all to be futile , a pursuit of the wind.
What is crooked cannot ... be straightened , and what is lacking cannot ... be counted.
I said to myself , ... “ Behold , I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem , and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. ”
So I set my mind to know wisdom (and) madness and folly ; I learned that this , too , is a pursuit of the wind.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow , and as knowledge grows , grief increases.