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- ¶ THE words of Kohlat, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
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- Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
all is vanity.
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- What profit has a man of all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
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- ¶ One generation passes away and another generation comes;
but the earth abides for ever.
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- The sun rises and the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it rose that from thence it may rise again.
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- The wind blows toward the south, and turns about to the north;
it whirls continually, and returns again according to its circuits.
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- All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full;
to the place from whence the rivers flow, thither they return to flow again.
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- All things are wearisome: a man is not satisfied with utterance, his eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor his ear satisfied with hearing.
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- ¶ The thing that has been is that which shall be;
and that which has been clone is that which shall be done;
and there is nothing new under the sun.
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- Whosoever speaks and says, Look, this is new, should know that it already has been in the ages which were before us.
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- There is no remembrance of former generations;
neither shall there be any remembrance of generations that are to come with those that will come after.
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- ¶ I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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- And I gave my heart to seek to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven;
to be engaged in it is a difficult task that God has given to the sons of men.
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- I have seen all the works that are done under the sun;
and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
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- The chaotic cannot be made orderly;
and he who is lacking knowledge cannot be supplied with it.
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- I have communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great, and have gotten more wisdom than all they who were before me in Jerusalem;
yea, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
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- And I gave my heart to know wisdom and proverbs and understanding;
but I have perceived that this also is vexation of spirit
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- Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
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