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 of 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 of all his labor, which he taketh under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
[One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6 The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about to the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according 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 from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
All things [are] full of labor; man cannot utter [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, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is 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 it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was 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]; neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I the preacher was king over Israel in 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 heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this grievous labor hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised with it.
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 have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
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 own heart, saying, Lo, I have come to great estate, and have gained more wisdom than all [they] that have been before me in Jerusalem: and my heart had great experience of 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 heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
