2015.8.

12

1

.

1 The words of Koheleth son of David,

king in Jerusalem.
2 The most fleeting, said Koheleth; the
most fleeting, all is fleeting.
3 What difference is there to man in all
his labour that he performs under the
sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation
comes; and the earth stands forever.
5 And the sun rises, and the sun sets- to
its place it aims, there it rises.

6 It goes to the south, and circles to the

north; it circles and circles, the wind,
and to its circuits the wind returns.
7 All the streams go to the sea, yet the
sea is not full; to the place where the
rivers go, there they return.

8 All things are wearying; A man

cannot speak of it fully, the eye will not
be sated, and the ear will not be full
from hearing.
9 That which was is that which shall
be, and what has been done is that
which shall be done, and there is
nothing new beneath the sun.

10 There is a thing of which it is said,

Look, this is new- it has been for ages
before us.

14 I have seen all the works that have

been done under the sun; behold it is
all fleeting and a vexation of the spirit.

16 I spoke with my own heart, saying:

I have grown and added wisdom over
all that were before me over
Jerusalem'; and my heart saw much
wisdom and knowledge.

11 There is no memory to the first ones,

and also the last-there will be no
recollection with those who will be to
the end.
12 I, Koheleth, was king over Israel in
Jerusalem.
13 And I gave my heart over to seek
and to explore in wisdom concerning
all that has been one under the heavens,
it is a sore affair that G-d gave to the
sons of man to answer to.

15 That which is crooked cannot be

made straight; and that which is
lacking cannot be counted.

17 And I gave over my heart to know

wisdom and knowledge, madness and
folly, and I knew that this too was an
ambition of the spirit.
18 Because in much wisdom there is
much anger, and one who increases in
knowledge increases in pain.

1 I said in my heart: I will now mix

wine in joy, and I will experience
goodness, and behold, this too was
fleeting.
2 To laughter, I said: 'It is confusion';
and of joy: 'What does it accomplish?'
3 I explored in my heart to pull[indulge]
my flesh with wine, and for my heart to
conduct itself in wisdom, and grasp
foolishness until I would see which
was better for the sons of man who act
under the heavens the number of the
days of their lives.

4 I expanded my works; I built myself

houses; I planted for myself vineyards;

6 I made for myself pools of water, to

water therefrom a forest sprouting with
trees.

5 I made for myself gardens and

orchards, and I planted in them all
manner of fruit-bearing trees.

7 I bought men-servants, maidservants, and I also had household

members. Additionally, I had great
possessions of cattle and flocks, more
than all who were before me in
Jerusalem;

8 I also gathered for myself silver and

gold, and the treasures of kings and the
provinces; I made for myself musical
instruments, the delights of the sons of
mans, chests and chests of them.

9 I grew and collected, more than all

who were before me in Jerusalem; still,
my wisdom stood for me [remained].

11 And I myself turned to all my works

that my hands had wrought, and to the
labour that I had labored for, and
behold, it is all fleeting and a vexation
of the spirit, and there is no difference
under the sun.

-



-

12 And I turned myself to behold

wisdom and confusion and foolishness,
for what is the man that comes after the
king, that he will do has already been
done.

10 And all that my eyes asked [desired]

I did not spare from them, I did not
withhold from my heart any joy, for
my heart was happy from all my
labour, and this was my portion from
all my labour.

13 And I saw that there is a difference

between wisdom and foolishness, just
as there is a difference between the
light and the dark.
14 The sage has his eyes in his head,
and the fool walks in darkness, and
even I knew that one event happens to
all.
15 I said in my heart, As it happens to
the fool to me it shall happen, and why
then did I get wise? and I said in my
heart that this too is fleeting.
16 For of the sage there is no memory,
even as of the fool, forever; in that
even in the coming days all is







-






-













-

forgotten, and how does the sage die

with the fool?
17 And I hated life be evil was the work
that was done under the sun, because
all is fleeting, a vexation of the spirit.
18 And I hated all my labour that I
laboured for under the sun, that it
would be the portion of the man after
me.
19 And who knows if he will be wise or
a fool, and he will rule over all my
works that I worked for and became
wise through under the sun- this too is
fleeting.
20 And I turned my heart to despair of
all my labour I had done underneath
the sun.
21 For there is a man whose works are
with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;
and to a man who has not laboured in
it, it will be given to him as a portion.
This too is fleeting and a great evil.
22 For what will come to pass for man
through all his work and the desire
[ambition] of his heart that he labours
underneath the sun?
23 For all of his days are pains, and
anger his affair- even in the night his
heart did not rest; this also is fleeting.

24 There is nothing better in man than

that he ate, drank, and showed his soul
good in his labour- even this I saw is
from the hand of G-d.
25 For who will eat and who will be
anxious besides me?
26 For to a man who is good before
Him He has given wisdom and
knowledge, and to the sinner He gave
the task of collection and heaping to
give to the good before the G-d- this
too is fleeting and a vexation of the
spirit.

3






,

1 To everything there is a time, and a

season for all desire [concern] under the
heavens:
2 A time to give birth, and a time to
die; a time to plant, and a time to
uproot that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to wreck, and a time to build;
4 A time to cry, and a time to laugh;
a time of mourning, and a time of
dancing;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a
time to gather stones; a time to
embrace, and a time to distance oneself
from embrace;
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast
away;

7 A time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to
speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What difference has the doer in that
he labours?
10 I have seen the task that G-d gave to
the sons of man to answer for
have seen the task which God hath
given to the sons of men to be
exercised therewith.

11 Everything He made beautiful in its

season, also eternity [the world] has He
set in their heart, without which man
would not find the work that the G-d
has made from beginning to end.

13 And also for every man: that he

should eat and have drank, and seen
good in his labours- this is a gift of Gd.

12 I knew that there was no better thing

in them [the creations] than to rejoice
and to do good in his life.

14 I knew that everything the G-d does

will be forever; nothing is to be added
to it, nothing is to be subtracted; and
the G-d made it so they are in awe
before Him.
15 That which was, already is, and that
which is to be, has been, and the G-d
will seek the pursued.

16 Furthermore, I under the sun; in the

place of justice there was the
wickedness, and the place of
righteousness, there was the evildoer.

20 All go to one place; all were of the

dust, and all return to the dust.

17 I said in my heart: The righteous

and the wicked will the G-d judge,
because there is a time [season] for all
desires and for the entire deed there.
18 I said in my heart concerning men
explaining G-d and seeing that they are
like beasts to themselves.

19 For that which happens to man and

that which happens to the beast- and
the same thing happens to them- as the
one dies, so too the other, and there is
one spirit to them all, and man has no
superiority [surplus, remainder] over
beast, for all is fleeting.

21 Who knows whether the spirit of

man goes upwards, and the spirit of the
beast goes downwards to the earth?

22 And I saw that there is no good other

than that man should rejoice in his
works, for that is his portion, for who
will bring us to see what will be after
him?

4
,

1 And I returned and I saw all the

wrongs done under the sun, and
behold! The tears of the wronged and
there is no comforter for them, and
from the hand of their wrongdoerspower, and there is no comforter for
them.

2 And I praised the dead-those who

have already died-more than the living
who are still alive.

( )

7 And I returned and saw another

fleeting thing under the sun.

3 And better than both is he that has not

yet been, who has not seen the evil
work that has been done under the sun.

4 And I saw all the labour and success

of the work, for it is mans envy of his
neighbor- this too is fleeting and a
striving after wind.
5 The fools fold his hands, and eats his
own flesh.
6 Better is a spoonful of gratification
than two handfuls of labour and a
vexation of the spirit.

8 There is one and there is no second;

also a son and a brother he does not
have, and there is no end to all his
labour- also his eye will not be sated
with riches. And for whom do I
labour, and neglect my soul from

goodness. This too is fleeting and an

evil task.
9 Better are the two than the one, for
there is a good reward for their labour.

10 For if they fall, the one will lift up

his friend, but if it is the solitary one
who should fall, there is no second to
lift him up. [but woe to the one who
falls and there is no second to lift him
up?]
11 Moreover, if two lie together, they
will have warmth, and for the one, how
will he be warmed?

12 And if the one is attacked, the two

will stand against him [who attacked
the one]; and a three-ply cord is not
easily severed.

15 I saw all the living who walk under

the sun with the second child who will
stand in his [the old king] stead.

13 Better is a poor and wise child than

an old, foolish king who does not
knows how to be cautious.
14 For from the house of restraints he
[the poor boy] will come to reign, for
he [the king], even in his reign, was
born poor.

16 There is no end to the nation, to all

that were before them; also those at the
end will not rejoice in him-for it is
fleeting and an ambition of the spirit.

 ( )

17 Only guard your feet when you walk

to the house of the G-d, and draw close
to hear, rather than to give to the fools
to sacrifice, for they do not know to do
evil.

1 Do not be quick with your mouth,

and do not hasten your heart, to utter a
word before the G-d, for the G-d is in
the heavens and you are on the earth;
therefore, let your words be few.

3 When you make a vow to the G-d, do

not delay to fulfill it, for there is no
concern in fools: what you vow, fulfill.

5 Do not let your mouth bring your

flesh to sin, and do not say before the
messenger that it was an error; why
should the G-d be angry at your voice,
and destroy the work of your hands?

2 For a dream comes through many

affairs, and the voice of a fool through
many words.

4 It is better that you not vow than that

you make a vow and not fulfill it.

6 For in a multitude of dreams, other

fleeting things, and words, there is
much; only fear the G-d.

7 If you see the oppression of the poor

and the robbing of justice and
righteousness in the state, do not
wonder at this thing, for the Highest of
the high guards, and there are higher
than they.

) (

8 And the surplus of land is in

everything; the king is enslaved by the
land.

()

9 He that loves silver will not be

satisfied with silver, and whoever loves
abundance with that which is brought
in; this also is fleeting.

14 As he emerged from his mothers

womb, naked will he return as he came,
and he will take nothing from his labor
to take with him.

10 When goods increase, so do those

that partake of them, so what success
does the owner have save what his eyes
see?
11 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much; and the
satiety of the rich does not permit him
to sleep.
12 There is a sick evil that I saw under
the sun: guarded riches kept by their
owner to his misfortune.
13 and he lost those riches in an evil
task, and had a son, with nothing in its
hand.

15 And this too is a sickening evil, that

the whole that came, that is what goes,
and what advantage is there that he
labours in vain [lit. to the wind]?

16 Also, all his days he eats in

darkness, and much anger and his
sickness and rage.
17 Behold that I have seen: it is good
and comely to eat and to drink and to
see good in all his labour that he
labours for under the sun the days of
his life that the G-d has given him; for
this is his portion.

18 Also, every man to which the G-d

has given wealth and abundance, and
gave him rule over it to eat from it and
to bear his portion and to be happy in
his work; this is a gift of the G-d.
19 For he will remember that not many
are the days of his life, for the G-d is
the answer in the joy of his heart.

1 There is an evil that I have seen under

the sun, and it is great upon all of man.
2 a man to whom the G-d gives riches
and abundance and honor, and his soul
does not want for anything it desires,
and the G-d does not allow him to rule
over it to eat from it, for a stranger will
eat it; this is fleeting and an evil
sickness.
3 If a man had one hundred children,
and lived for many years and the days
of his years are many, but his soul is

not sated from the good, and there is

also no burial for him; I said that
stillborn is better than he.
4 For it comes fleetingly, and it departs
in darkness; and in darkness his [the
man with riches] name will be
smothered.

5 Also the sun it did not see or know;

but it had more pleasure that him.

10 Whatever was, its name was called

before, and it is known that he is man,
and cannot contend with he that
overpowers him.

6 Even if he should a thousand years

twice, and he did not see goodness; do
not all go to the same place?
7 All of mans labours are for his
mouth, but his soul was not filled.
8 For what advantage of the wise man
than the fool, or of the poor man who
knows, in walking before life?
9 Better what you can see than a
travelling spirit; this too is fleeting and
a vexation of the spirit.

11 For there are many things, they are

all fleeting, what is the advantage to
man?
12 For who knows what it good for a
man in life, all of his fleeting days, that
he makes like a shadow; for who can
tell what will come after him under the
sun?

1 A good name is better than good oil,

and the day of death than the day he
was born.
2 Better to go to a house of mourning
that a house of drink, in that this is the
end of all man, and the living will take
this to heart.
3 Anger is better than laughter, for in a
sad countenance the heart will be
bettered.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house
of mourning, and the heart of fools is in
the house of joy.
5 It is better to hear the reproof of a
wise man than for a man to hear the
song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorns

underneath the pot, so is the laughter of
the fool- and this too is fleeting.

7 For oppression turns a wise man into

a fool, and through a gift the heart will
be lost.

8 The end of a thing is better than its

beginning; better to be patient than
proud.

9 Do not be hastily upset, because

anger lies in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say, How is it that former
days were better?, for it is not out of
wisdom that you asked this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,

and is an advantage to those who see
the sun.

12 For in the shadow of wisdom, in the

shadow of money, and the advantage
of knowledge of wisdom will sustain
its owner.
13 See the work of the G-d, for who
can fix what He has made crooked?
14 On a good day, be with goodness,
and on a bad day, see: even this to
contrast this the G-d made, to the end
that man would find nothing after him.
15 I have seen it all in my fleeting
days; there is a righteous man that
perishes in his righteousness, and there
is a wicked man who lives long in his
wickedness.

16 Do not be overly righteous, and do

not be overly wise- why should you
destroy yourself?

17 Do not be overly wicked, nor

foolish- why should you die not in your
time?

18 It is good that you should grasp this

and also this; do not rest your hand
because he that fears G-d will perform
them all.
19 Wisdom strengthens the wise more
than ten rulers that were in a city.
20 For there is no man, a righteous man
on the earth, that does good and does
not sin.





( )

21 Also, pay no attention to the words

spoken about you, let not your heart
take heed, so that you do not hear your
servant curse you.
22 For you know that many times you
too cursed others.

23 All this I tested in wisdom; I said, I

will be enlightened, but it is far from
me.
24 What was is far off, and exceedingly
deep; who can find it?
25 I turned myself and my heart to
know and to search out and to pursue
wisdom and an account of things, and
to know that folly is wickedness and
foolishness is madness.
26 And I find more bitter than death the
woman who is a snare, and her heart is
nets; her hands are manacles; he who
is good before the G-d will escape her,
and the sinner will be caught by her.
27 Behold, I have found this, said
Koheleth, adding one thing to another
to find the account.
28 That which my soul sought but did
not find; one man in a thousand I
found, but a woman among all those I
did not find.

29 See this single thing have I found:

that the G-d made man straight, but
they seek many accounts of things.

1 Who is like the wise man? And who

knows the interpretation of things; the
wisdom of a man will make his face
shine, and the boldness of his face will
change.

2 I counsel you: keep the kings

commands, and on the subject of an
oath to G-d:

3 Do not be hasty to leave his presence,

do not stand in an evil thing, for
whatsoever pleases him, he does.

5 The keeper of the commandment will

not know an evil thing, and a wise
heart will know season and justice.

6 Because for every matter there is a

season and a law, for the evil of man is
great upon him.

7 For he does not know what will come

to pass, for when it occurs, who will
tell him?

4 For the word of the king is law, and

who will say to him, What are you
doing?

8 There is no man who rules over the

wind to imprison it, and there is no
ruling over the day of death, and there
is no substitution in war, and evil will
not escape its owners.

9 All of this I have seen, and applied

my heart to, to every act that is done
under the sun there is a season during
which one man rules over another to
their detriment.
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, and
they came [into death]; and from a holy
place they walked and were forgotten
in the city in which they performed
[their evil acts], this too is fleeting.
11 For a decree against an evil act is not
swift, therefore the hearts of man are
fully set to do evil.
12 For a sinner does evil a hundred
times, and his days are lengthened, yet
I know that it will be good for those
that fear the G-d, those that fear before
Him.
13 And it will not be good for the
wicked and his days will not be
prolonged, they will be as a shadow,
for he does not fear before G-d.
14 There is a fleeting thing that is done
upon the earth, that there are righteous
ones upon reap the work of the wicked,
and there are wicked one who reap the
work of the righteous; and I said, this
too is fleeting.

15 And I praised happiness, for there is

no good for man under the sun other
than to eat and to drink and to be
merry, that this should join him in his
labour all the days of his life that the
G-d gave him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know

wisdom and to see the business which
is done on the earth, for both in the day
and night sleep is in his eye, he does
not see.
17 And I saw all of the work of the G-d,
that man cannot find the work that has
been done under the sun, in that as man
labours to seek it and he does not find
it, and also, if a sage says he knows, he
will not be able to find it.

1 For all of this I put to my heart to

make clear, that the righteous ones and
the sages and their works are in the
hand of the G-d; in love and in hate,
man does not know everything before
them.

3 This is evil in all that is done under

the sun, that there is one occurrence to
all; and the hearts of man are full of
evil and madness is in their hearts all

2 All things come alike to all; one

occurrence to the righteous and the
wicked, the good and the clean, and the
unclean, to the one that sacrifices and
to those who does not sacrifice; as is
the good man, so is the sinner, and he
that swears as he that fears swearing.



( )

their lives; and after this they go to the

dead.
4 For to him who is joined to all the
living there is trust, for a living do is
better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die,
and the dead know nothing, and there
is no more reward for them, for their
memory has been forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their
jealousies are already lost, and they
will no longer have a portion in the
world, in everything that is done under
the sun.
7 Go! Eat your bread in joy, and drink
your wine in good spirits, for the G-d
has already wanted your deeds.
8 In every season your clothes should
be white, and the oil on your head not
lacking.
9 See your life with a wife that you
love all the days of your fleeting life
that have been given to you, all the
days of your fleeting life. For this is
your portion in life, and in your labours
that you have laboured for under the
sun.
10 All that you find possible in your
power to do, do! For there is no action,
accounting, knowledge, or wisdom in
the grave that you go to.

11 I returned and saw under the sun that

the race does not go to the swift,
neither war to the strong, nor bread to
the wise, nor riches to the wise, nor
favour to the learned, but time and
accident happen to all.

12 For also man does not know his

time; as fishes caught in an evil net,
like birds caught in a snare, so are the
sons of men caught in a snare in an evil
season when it falls upon them
suddenly.
13 This too I hae seen wisdom under
the sun, and it was impressed greatly
upon me:

14 There was a small city wih few

inhabitants, and a great king came
upon it and surrounded it, and built
large siege works against it;

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of

war; and one sinner destroys much
good.

15 And there was found a poor sage,

who saved the town in his wisdom; yet
no one remembered this poor man.

16 And I said to myself, Wisdom is

better than strength, but the wisdom of
the poor is despised, and his words go
unheard.
17 The words of the wise, spoken
gently, are heeded more than the cry of
a ruler over fools.

10

) (

1 The flies of death putrefy the oil of

the perfumer; more precious than
wisdom or honour is a little folly.

6 Folly is set in the heights, while the

rich sit down low.

2 The heart of a sage is to his right, and

the heart of a fool, to his left.
3 And also, on the path the fool walks,
his heart is empty, and he says to
everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against
you, do not leave your place, for
healing will lay to rest great sins.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the
sun, like an error proceeding from a
ruler:

7 I saw slaves on horses and princes

walking like slaves on the ground.

8 He that digs a pit will fall in it, and he

that breaks a fence, a serpent will bite
him.

9 He that quarries stones will be pained

by them; he that cleaves trees will be
endangered by them.

10 If the iron is blunt, and he does not

whet it, then he will be overtaken; and
the advantage of the fit is wisdom.

11 If the serpent bit, not charmed, there

is no advantage for the charmer.

14 The fool will increase his words; yet

man does not know what will be, nor
what is after him- for who will tell
him?

12 The words of the sage are grace, but

the lips of a fool will swallow him.
13 The beginning of his words are
foolishness, and the end is grievous
madness.

15 The labour of fools wearies us, for

they do not know to go to the city.
16 Oh, if you have a land who king is
young, and whose officers eat in the
morning!

17 Happy are you, land whose king is

the son of free men and whose officers
dine eat at the proper time, in strength
and not drunkenness.

) (

19 For laughter one makes bread, and

wine gladdens life, and money answers
all things.

18 In slothfulness the beams decay, and

through the idleness of hands the house
leaks.

20 Also, in your thoughts do not curse

the king, and in your bedchamber do
not curse the rich, for a bird of the skies
will carry the voice, and that with
wings will tell the matter.

11

1 Cast your bread upon the face of the

waters, for in many days you shall find
it.

2 Give a portion to seven, and to eight,

for you will not know what will be evil
on the earth.

3 If the clouds fill with rain, they will

empty themselves on the earth, and if a
tree falls in the south or in the north, in
the place it falls, there it will be.
4 One who guards against the wind will
not sow, and one who looks to the
clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you do not know the path of
the wind, nor the bones in the full
womb, so you will not know the work
of the G-d who does all things.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and in
the evening do not rest your hand; for
you do not know which one will be
suitable- this one or this one, or
whether they are both good.
7 And the light is sweet, and it is good
for the eyes to see the sun.
8 For if a man lives many years, let him
rejoice in all of them, and remember
the days of darkness, for they will be
many. All that comes is fleeting.

9 Rejoice, young man, in your

childhood, and let your heart be good
in the days of your youth, and walk in
the path of your heart and the sights of
your eyes, and know that on all these
the G-d will bring you into judgement.
10 And turn aside anger from your
heart, and pass evil from your flesh, for
childhood and youth are fleeting.

12

1 And remember your Creator in the

days of your youth, so that the evil
days do not come, and the years arrive
when you say, I have no pleasure in
them.

5 Also, they will be afraid of that

which is high, and of dangers on the
road;the almond tree will be spurned,
and the grasshopper will drag itself;
the caper-berry [desire] will fail, for

2 Before the sun does not grow dark,

and the light and the stars and the
moon, and the clouds return after the
rain.
3 In the day when the keepers of the
house will tremble, and the strong
bow, and the grinders cease for they
are few, and those who looks out of
windows will be darkened.
4 And doors shall be shut in the street,
in the low sound of the grinding; and
he will rise to the voice of the bird,
and the daughters of the song will
grow dim.



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man goes to his eternal home, and the

mourners circle in the street.

11 The words of the sages are as

goads, and as fastened nails are the
masters of assemblies; they are given
from one Shepherd.

13 The end of the matter, when

everything is heard: Fear the G-d and
keep His commandments, for this is
the whole of man.

6 Before the silver cord is joined, and

the golden bowl is crushed, and the
pitcher is broken on the fountain, and
the wheel is broken at the pit;
7 And the dust will return to the earth
as it was, and the spirit will return to
the G-d who gave it.
8 The most fleeting, said the Koheleth,
all is fleeting!
9 And moreso: Kohelet was wise, and
taught the people knowledge, and
pondered and researched, and set
many proverbs.
10 Koheleth sought to find words of
delight, and wrote right, words of
truth.

12 And moreso, my son, be cautioned

from making many books, for there is
no end, and excessive studying
wearies the flesh.

14 For the entire work will the G-d

bring into judgement, on every secret
thing, whether good or bad.