Ecclésiaste 1

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher ; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

³ What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun ?

⁴ One generation goeth, and another generation cometh ; but the earth abideth for ever.

⁵ The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.

⁶ The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north ; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full ; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness ; man cannot utter it : the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been is that which shall be ; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done : and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new ? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of the former generations ; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter generations that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven : it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun ; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight ; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem ; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly : I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief ; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.