Ecclesiastes
1
1 The words of the Preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher.
“Vanity of vanities!
All is vanity.”
3 What does a man gain from all his toil at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries to its place where it rises again.
6 The wind goes to the south and turns to the north;
round and round the wind goes, and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All the rivers flow to the sea, yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow, there they return to flow again.
8 All things are wearisome, more than a man can express.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look, this is new”?
It has already been in the ages before us.
11 Those who came before are not remembered;
nor will those who come later be remembered by those who come after them.
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I set my heart to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is a grievous task that God has given mankind to be occupied with. 14 I have seen all the deeds done under the sun, and look, all is vanity and a pursuit of wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said in my heart, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all who were over Jerusalem before me; my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.” 17 I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I knew that this too is a pursuit of wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.