Ecclesiastes chapter 1 The words
of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of
vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. What does man gain by all the
toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and
a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises,
and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south, And goes around to the north,
Around and around goes the wind, And on its circuits the wind
returns. All streams run to the sea, But
the sea is not full, To the place where the streams flow, There
they flow again. All things are full of weariness,
A man cannot utter it, The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done. And there is nothing
new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it
is said, See, this is new? It has been already in the ages
before us. There is no remembrance of former
things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things,
yet to be among those who come after. I, the preacher, have
been king over Israel and Jerusalem, and I applied my heart to seek
and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It
is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of
man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is
done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving
after wind. What is crooked cannot be made
straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in
my heart, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were
over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience
of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know
wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also
is but a striving after win. For in much wisdom is much vexation,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.