ECCLESIASTES 1 [†]The words of  a the Preacher, [1] the son of David,  b king in Jerusalem.

2[†]  c Vanity [2] of vanities, says  a the Preacher,

 c vanity of vanities!  d All is vanity.

3[†]  e What  f does man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?

4[†] A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but  g the earth remains forever.

5  h The sun rises, and the sun goes down,

and hastens [3] to the place where it rises.

6  i 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.

7 All  j streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they flow again.

8 All things are full of weariness;

a man cannot utter it;

 k the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ear filled with hearing.

9  l 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.

10 Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has been  m already

in the ages before us.

11[†] There is no  n remembrance of former things, [4]

nor will there be any remembrance

of later things [5] yet to be

among those who come after.

12[†]I  o the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13[†]And I  p applied my heart [6] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy  q business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14[^][†]I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is  r vanity [7] and a striving after wind. [8]

15[†]  s What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16[†]I said in my heart, “I have acquired great  t wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17[†]And I  u applied my heart to know wisdom and to know  v madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but  r a striving after wind.

18[†] For  w in much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.