1The words of Qohelet son of David king in Jerusalem. 2 “Utter emptiness,� said Qohelet, “Utter emptiness! Everything is empty. 3What is the use to the man in all his works which he works under the sun? 4A generation [is] going and a generation [is] coming, but the earth to eternity [is] standing. 5The sun rises and the sun sets [lit. the sun shines and the sun enters] and of its place a panter, a shiner [is] he there. 6Going to the south and circling to the north; circling around the wind [is] going, on its circuit the wind returns. 7All the torrents [are] running to the sea, but the sea is never full; to a place which the rivers [are] running there they [are] returning to [go] again. 8All the words [are] weary, a man is unable to speak; an eye is not satisfied by seeing, and an ear is not filled by hearing. [These are both infinitive contstucts, but we’ll translate them as verbal nouns (which they are) for clarity.] 9What that was, it will be, and what was borne, it will be borne; but there is nothing wholly new under the sun. 10There is a word which he said, ‘look [at] this! It is new.’ Already it has been [in existence] forever, which has been from before us. 11There is no memory of the firsts, nor [lit. and also] of the latters which will be, there will not be of them a memory, with [those] which will be after us.
עמל ʕɑ̆mɑˈlo n.m + 3ms Posessive suffix
ˌʃɛjjɑʕɑ̆ˈmol ʃɛ + Waw Consecutive Qal non-perfective 3ms
זרח zɔˈrɑħ Qal Perfective 3ms
zoˈreɑ̆ħ Qal Parciciple
ש×?×£ ʃoÊ”ef Qal Participle
ללחת lɔˈlɔħɛθ Qal Participle + l
יגע jɣeˈʕim Qal Participle m.s. (note Tserei not Qomotz)
שבע tisˈbɑʕ Qal Non-Perfective 2ms/3fs
כבר kvɑr adv.
1Listen, Coastlands, to me; pay attention, People from afar. Yahweh named me from the womb, he invoked my name from my mother's belly. 2He made my mouth like a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand. He set me as a pointy arrow, and hid me in his quiver. 3He said to me: you are my servant, Israel, that through you I will glorify myself. 4But I said, I toiled in vain, in worthlessness and emptiness I wasted my strength; but my justice is with Yahweh, and my reward is with my god. 5So YHWH has said--he made me from the womb to be his servant--to return Jacob to him, and he will not wipe away Israel; so that I may be honored in Yahweh’s eyes, my god is my strength. 6He said it is too simple for you to be a servant, to raise the tribes of Jacob and return what is preserved of Israel; I give you as the light of people, to be my salvation to the end of the earth.
[This is obviously not finished. Commentary and translation really requires a thorough reading, not just looking back over my notes. I hope to get back to this when I look over this passage again before the final exam. But you can read it now.]
[Edit: Slightly updated, the translation is complete but I still want to go over this further. Unfortunately, the final is tomorrow so this is enough for now.]
1: A B A' B'; C D D' C'.