Ecclesiastes 1
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 What profit has a man of all his labour which he takes under the sun?
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides for ever.
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun also arises, and the sun goes down, and hastes to his place where he arose.
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind goes toward the south, and turns about unto the north; it whirls about continually, and the wind returns again according to his circuits.
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
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.
8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 The thing that has 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.
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 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.
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
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!
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
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.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is lacking cannot be numbered.
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have got more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
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.”
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
