| א דִּבְרֵי קֹהֶלֶת בֶּן-דָּוִד, מֶלֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם. | 1 The words of Koheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| ב הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר קֹהֶלֶת, הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים הַכֹּל הָבֶל. | 2 Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. |
| ג מַה-יִּתְרוֹן, לָאָדָם: בְּכָל-עֲמָלוֹ--שֶׁיַּעֲמֹל, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ. | 3 What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun? |
| ד דּוֹר הֹלֵךְ וְדוֹר בָּא, וְהָאָרֶץ לְעוֹלָם עֹמָדֶת. | 4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever. |
| ה וְזָרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וּבָא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ; וְאֶל-מְקוֹמוֹ--שׁוֹאֵף זוֹרֵחַ הוּא, שָׁם. | 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth. |
| ו הוֹלֵךְ, אֶל-דָּרוֹם, וְסוֹבֵב, אֶל-צָפוֹן; סוֹבֵב סֹבֵב הוֹלֵךְ הָרוּחַ, וְעַל-סְבִיבֹתָיו שָׁב הָרוּחַ. | 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its circuit, and the wind returneth again to its circuits. |
| ז כָּל-הַנְּחָלִים הֹלְכִים אֶל-הַיָּם, וְהַיָּם אֵינֶנּוּ מָלֵא; אֶל-מְקוֹם, שֶׁהַנְּחָלִים הֹלְכִים--שָׁם הֵם שָׁבִים, לָלָכֶת. | 7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. |
| ח כָּל-הַדְּבָרִים יְגֵעִים, לֹא-יוּכַל אִישׁ לְדַבֵּר; לֹא-תִשְׂבַּע עַיִן לִרְאוֹת, וְלֹא-תִמָּלֵא אֹזֶן מִשְּׁמֹעַ. | 8 All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. |
| ט מַה-שֶּׁהָיָה, הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, וּמַה-שֶּׁנַּעֲשָׂה, הוּא שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה; וְאֵין כָּל-חָדָשׁ, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ. | 9 That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. |
| י יֵשׁ דָּבָר שֶׁיֹּאמַר רְאֵה-זֶה, חָדָשׁ הוּא: כְּבָר הָיָה לְעֹלָמִים, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִלְּפָנֵנוּ. | 10 Is there a thing whereof it is said: 'See, this is new'?--it hath been already, in the ages which were before us. |
| יא אֵין זִכְרוֹן, לָרִאשֹׁנִים; וְגַם לָאַחֲרֹנִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ, לֹא-יִהְיֶה לָהֶם זִכָּרוֹן--עִם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ, לָאַחֲרֹנָה. {פ} | 11 There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after. {P} |
| יב אֲנִי קֹהֶלֶת, הָיִיתִי מֶלֶךְ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל--בִּירוּשָׁלִָם. | 12 I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| יג וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-לִבִּי, לִדְרוֹשׁ וְלָתוּר בַּחָכְמָה, עַל כָּל-אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם; הוּא עִנְיַן רָע, נָתַן אֱלֹהִים לִבְנֵי הָאָדָם--לַעֲנוֹת בּוֹ. | 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; it is a sore task that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. |
| יד רָאִיתִי, אֶת-כָּל-הַמַּעֲשִׂים, שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ; וְהִנֵּה הַכֹּל הֶבֶל, וּרְעוּת רוּחַ. | 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. |
| טו מְעֻוָּת, לֹא-יוּכַל לִתְקֹן; וְחֶסְרוֹן, לֹא-יוּכַל לְהִמָּנוֹת. | 15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. |
| טז דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲנִי עִם-לִבִּי, לֵאמֹר--אֲנִי הִנֵּה הִגְדַּלְתִּי וְהוֹסַפְתִּי חָכְמָה, עַל כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-הָיָה לְפָנַי עַל-יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וְלִבִּי רָאָה הַרְבֵּה, חָכְמָה וָדָעַת. | 16 I spoke with my own heart, saying: 'Lo, I have gotten great wisdom, more also than all that were before me over Jerusalem'; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. |
| יז וָאֶתְּנָה לִבִּי לָדַעַת חָכְמָה, וְדַעַת הוֹלֵלֹת וְשִׂכְלוּת: יָדַעְתִּי, שֶׁגַּם-זֶה הוּא רַעְיוֹן רוּחַ. | 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly--I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. |
| יח כִּי בְּרֹב חָכְמָה, רָב-כָּעַס; וְיוֹסִיף דַּעַת, יוֹסִיף מַכְאוֹב. | 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. |