¹Ma mõtlesin südames: Olgu, ma teen katset rõõmuga ja naudin seda, mis on hea. Aga vaata, seegi oli tühi töö!

¹I said in my heart, Come now, I will try thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. But behold, this also is vanity.

²Ma ütlesin naerule: 'Hull!' ja rõõmule: 'Mis sellest kasu on?'

²I said of laughter, Madness! and of mirth, What availeth it?

³Ma võtsin südames nõuks virgutada oma ihu veiniga - ometi nõnda, et mu süda mind targu juhiks - ja haarata kinni rumalusest, kuni ma näen, mis inimlastel on kasulik teha oma üürikesil elupäevil taeva all.

³I searched in my heart how to cherish my flesh with wine, while practising my heart with wisdom; and how to lay hold on folly, till I should see what was that good for the children of men which they should do under the heavens all the days of their life.

⁴Ma tegin suuri tegusid: ma ehitasin enesele kodasid, istutasin enesele viinamägesid;

⁴I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

⁵ma tegin enesele rohu- ja iluaedu ning istutasin neisse kõiksugu viljapuid.

⁵I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of every kind of fruit;

⁶Ma tegin enesele veetiike kasvavate metsapuude kastmiseks.

⁶I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood, where the trees are reared.

⁷Ma ostsin sulaseid ja teenijaid, ja mul oli oma peres sündinuid; samuti oli mul veiste, lammaste ja kitsede kari, suurem kui kõigil neil, kes enne mind olid Jeruusalemmas olnud.

⁷I acquired servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that had been in Jerusalem before me.

⁸Ma kogusin enesele ka hõbedat ja kulda ning kuningate ja maade varandusi; ma hankisin enesele lauljaid ja lauljannasid, samuti, mis inimlastele on naudinguks: palju naisi.

⁸I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the children of men, a wife and concubines.

⁹Ma sain suureks ja ületasin kõik, kes enne mind olid Jeruusalemmas olnud; mulle jäi ka mu tarkus.

⁹And I became great, and increased more than all that had been before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

¹⁰Ja mida mu silmad iganes himustasid, seda ma ei keelanud neile; ma ei hoidnud oma südant tagasi ühestki rõõmust, sest mu süda tundis rõõmu kogu mu vaevast, ja see oli mu tasu kogu mu vaeva eest.

¹⁰And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them: I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour, and this was my portion from all my labour.

¹¹Aga kui ma vaatasin kõiki oma tegusid, mis mu käed olid teinud, ja vaeva, mida ma neid tehes olin näinud, vaata, siis oli see kõik tühi töö ja vaimunärimine. Millestki pole kasu päikese all.

¹¹Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that it had cost me to do [them]; and behold, all was vanity and pursuit of the wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

¹²Kui ma pöördusin vaatama tarkust ning meeletust ja sõgedust - sest mida muud teeb see inimene, kes tuleb pärast kuningat, kui sedasama, mida ikka on tehtud -,

¹²And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what shall the man [do] that cometh after the king? -- that which hath already been done.

¹³siis ma nägin, et tarkus on kasulikum kui meeletus, nõnda nagu valgus on pimedusest kasulikum.

¹³And I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as light excelleth darkness.

¹⁴Targal on silmad peas, aga alp käib pimeduses. Aga ma mõistsin ka, et see, mis juhtub ühele, juhtub neile kõigile.

¹⁴The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness; but I myself also perceived that one event happeneth to them all.

¹⁵Siis ma mõtlesin südames: See, mis juhtub albile, juhtub ka minule. Aga milleks siis mina olen saanud targemaks kui teised? Ja ma mõtlesin südames, et ka see on tühi töö.

¹⁵And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

¹⁶Sest niihästi targast kui albist ei jää igavest mälestust, kuna tulevasil päevil on kõik juba ammu unustatud. Jah, eks sure tark nagu alpki.

¹⁶For there shall be no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; because everything is already forgotten in the days which come. And how dieth the wise even as the fool?

¹⁷Siis ma vihkasin elu, sest see, mida päikese all tehakse, oli mu meelest halb. Sest see kõik on tühi töö ja vaimunärimine.

¹⁷And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

¹⁸Ja ma vihkasin kogu oma vaeva, mida ma olin näinud päikese all, sellepärast et ma selle pean jätma inimesele, kes tuleb pärast mind.

¹⁸And I hated all my labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

¹⁹Ja kes teabki, on ta tark või alp, aga ta hakkab valitsema kõige üle, milleks mina olen vaeva näinud ja tarkust tarvitanud päikese all. Seegi on tühi töö!

¹⁹And who knoweth whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰Siis ma mõtlesin ümber ja olin südames meeleheitel kogu selle vaeva pärast, mida ma olin näinud päikese all,

²⁰Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured under the sun.

²¹sest inimene näeb vaeva tarkuse ja teadmiste ning tubliduse abil, kuid peab ometi kõik jätma osaks inimesele, kes selle kallal ei ole vaeva näinud. Seegi on tühi töö ja väga paha!

²¹For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²²Sest mis on inimesel kogu oma vaevast ja püüdeist, millega ta ennast vaevab päikese all?

²²For what will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself under the sun?

²³On ju kõik ta päevad täis valu ja ta töö meelepahanduseks, ta süda ei maga isegi mitte öösel. Seegi on tühi töö!

²³For all his days are sorrows, and his travail vexation: even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴Ei ole inimesel midagi paremat kui süüa ja juua ja lasta hingel rahuldust tunda oma vaevas. Ma nägin, et seegi on Jumala käest.

²⁴There is nothing good for man, but that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

²⁵Sest kes võiks süüa ja kes võiks juua ilma temata?

²⁵For who can eat, or who be eager, more than I?

²⁶Sest tema annab inimesele, kes temale meeldib, tarkust ja tunnetust ning rõõmu; aga patusele ta annab ülesandeks korjata ja koguda, et seda siis anda sellele, kes Jumalale meeldib. Seegi on tühi töö ja vaimunärimine.

²⁶For he giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good in God's sight. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.