| א וּזְכֹר, אֶת-בּוֹרְאֶיךָ, בִּימֵי, בְּחוּרֹתֶיךָ: עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָבֹאוּ, יְמֵי הָרָעָה, וְהִגִּיעוּ שָׁנִים, אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵין-לִי בָהֶם חֵפֶץ. | 1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and those years arrive of which you will say: 'I have no pleasure in them'; |
| ב עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא-תֶחְשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְהָאוֹר, וְהַיָּרֵחַ, וְהַכּוֹכָבִים; וְשָׁבוּ הֶעָבִים, אַחַר הַגָּשֶׁם. | 2 Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars, grow darki, and the clouds return after the rain; |
| ג בַּיּוֹם, שֶׁיָּזֻעוּ שֹׁמְרֵי הַבַּיִת, וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ, אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל; וּבָטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנוֹת כִּי מִעֵטוּ, וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרֹאוֹת בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת. | 3 In the day when the guards of the house shall tremble, and the powerful men shall stoop, and the grinders are idle because they are few, and the gazers through the windows are dimmed, |
| ד וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק, בִּשְׁפַל קוֹל הַטַּחֲנָה; וְיָקוּם לְקוֹל הַצִּפּוֹר, וְיִשַּׁחוּ כָּל-בְּנוֹת הַשִּׁיר. | 4 When the doors in the streets are shut, when the sound of the grinding is low; when one rises up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of song grow dim; |
| ה גַּם מִגָּבֹהַּ יִרָאוּ, וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב, וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה: כִּי-הֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל-בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ, וְסָבְבוּ בַשּׁוּק הַסּוֹפְדִים. | 5 When they even fear a height, and terror in the road; and the almond-tree blossoms, and the grasshopper becomes a burden, and the desire fails; so man goes to his eternal home, while the mourners go about the streets; |
| ו עַד אֲשֶׁר לֹא-ירחק (יֵרָתֵק) חֶבֶל הַכֶּסֶף, וְתָרוּץ גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב; וְתִשָּׁבֶר כַּד עַל-הַמַּבּוּעַ, וְנָרֹץ הַגַּלְגַּל אֶל-הַבּוֹר. | 6 Before the silver cord snaps, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel is smashed at the pit; |
| ז וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל-הָאָרֶץ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה; וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב, אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ. | 7 Thus the dust returns to the ground as it was, and the spirit returns to Hashem who gave it. |
| ח הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר הַקּוֹהֶלֶת, הַכֹּל הָבֶל. | 8 Vanity of vanities, says Koheleth; all is vanity. |
| ט וְיֹתֵר, שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם: עוֹד, לִמַּד-דַּעַת אֶת-הָעָם, וְאִזֵּן וְחִקֵּר, תִּקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה. | 9 And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. |
| י בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת, לִמְצֹא דִּבְרֵי-חֵפֶץ; וְכָתוּב יֹשֶׁר, דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת. | 10 Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. |
| יא דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים כַּדָּרְבֹנוֹת, וּכְמַשְׂמְרוֹת נְטוּעִים בַּעֲלֵי אֲסֻפּוֹת; נִתְּנוּ, מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד. | 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from one shepherd. |
| יב וְיֹתֵר מֵהֵמָּה, בְּנִי הִזָּהֵר: עֲשׂוֹת סְפָרִים הַרְבֵּה אֵין קֵץ, וְלַהַג הַרְבֵּה יְגִעַת בָּשָׂר. | 12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. |
| יג סוֹף דָּבָר, הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע: אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים יְרָא וְאֶת-מִצְוֹתָיו שְׁמוֹר, כִּי-זֶה כָּל-הָאָדָם. | 13 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear Hashem, and keep His commandments; for this is man's whole duty. |
| יד כִּי, אֶת-כָּל-מַעֲשֶׂה, הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט, עַל כָּל-נֶעְלָם: אִם-טוֹב, וְאִם-רָע. {ש} | 14 For Hashem shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. {P} |
