⁵ Why should I fear^(J) when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
⁶ those who trust in their wealth^(K)
    and boast^(L) of their great riches?^(M)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
⁸ the ransom^(N) for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—^(O)
9 so that they should live on^(P) forever
    and not see decay.^(Q)
10 For all can see that the wise die,^(R)
    that the foolish and the senseless^(S) also perish,
    leaving their wealth^(T) to others.^(U)
11 Their tombs^(V) will remain their houses^[b] forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,^(W)
    though they had^[c] named^(X) lands after themselves.

¹² People, despite their wealth, do not endure;^(Y)
    they are like the beasts that perish.^(Z)

² “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”^(C)

³ What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?^(D)
4 Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.^(E)
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.^(F)
6 The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.^(G)
8 All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,^(H)
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
⁹ What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;^(I)
    there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
¹¹ No one remembers the former generations,^(J)
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.^(K)