Ecclesiastes 1

1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.footnote a

6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.footnote b

8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9The 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.

10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.footnote c

14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.footnote d

16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.footnote e

17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Everything Is Futile

1These are the words of the Teacher,footnote a the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2“Futilityfootnote bof futilities,”says the Teacher,“futility of futilities!Everything is futile!”

3What does a man gain from all his labor,at which he toils under the sun? 4Generations come and generations go,but the earth remains forever. 5The sun rises and the sun sets;it hurries back to where it rises. 6The wind blows southward,then turns northward;round and round it swirls,ever returning on its course. 7All the rivers flow into the sea,yet the sea is never full;to the place from which the streams come,there again they flow.

8All things are wearisome,more than one can describe;the eye is not satisfied with seeing,nor the ear content with hearing. 9What has been will be again,and what has been done will be done again;there is nothing new under the sun. 10Is there a case where one can say,“Look, this is new”?It has already existedin the ages before us. 11There is no remembranceof those who came before,and those yet to come will not be rememberedby those who follow after.

With Wisdom Comes Sorrow

12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!

14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

15What is crooked cannot be straightened,and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16I 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.”

17So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow,and as knowledge grows, grief increases.