Ecclesiastes 1
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
THE WORDS OF the Koheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.
Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?
What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?
4 One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.
6 The wind goes to the south, turning back again to the north; circling round for ever.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its circuit, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
7 All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
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 may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.
All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will be done, and there is no new thing under the sun.
That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was before us.
Is there a thing whereof it is said: 'See, this is new'? — it hath been already, in the ages which were before us.
11 There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.
There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after.
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.
And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; it is a sore task that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
14 I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
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 bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.
That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem — yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.
I spoke with my own heart, saying: 'Lo, I have gotten great wisdom, more also than all that were before me over Jerusalem'; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.
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 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.
For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
