Ecclesiastes 1
1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
What profit hath a man by all his labor with which he wearieth himself under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; while the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
The sun riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteneth to the place whence it arose.
6 The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about to the north; round and round goeth the wind, and returneth to its circuits.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place whence the rivers come, thither they return.
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
All words become weary; man cannot express it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
The thing that 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 case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
Is there any thing of which one may say, “Behold, this is new”? It was long ago, in the times which were before us.
11 There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
There is no remembrance of former things, and of things that are to come there shall be no remembrance to those who live afterwards.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel at Jerusalem.
13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
And I gave my mind to seek and to search out with wisdom concerning all things which are done under heaven; an evil business, which God hath given to the sons of men, in which to employ themselves.
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
I saw all the things which are done under the sun; and, behold, it was all vanity, and striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
I communed with my heart, saying, “Behold, I have gained more and greater wisdom than all who have been before me at Jerusalem; yea, my mind hath seen much wisdom and knowledge.”
17 So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
And I gave my mind to know wisdom, and to know senselessness and folly; I perceived that this also is striving after wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
