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- The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
- 2
- Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities!
all is vanity.
- 3
- What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?
- 4
- [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever.
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- The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
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- The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
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- 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 toil;
none can express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
- 9
- That which hath been is that which shall be;
and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.
- 10
- Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new?
It hath been already in the ages which were before us.
- 11
- There is no remembrance of former things;
neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards.
- 12
- I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
- 13
- And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.
- 14
- I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
- 15
- That which is crooked cannot be made straight;
and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
- 16
- I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem;
and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge.
- 17
- And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.
- 18
- For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
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