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

ACV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ² Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. ³ What profit has man from all his labor in which he labors under the sun? ⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth abides forever. ⁵ The sun also arises, and the sun goes down and hastens to its place where it arises. ⁶ The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually in its course, and the wind returns again to its circuits. ⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from where the rivers come, there they go again. ⁸ All things are full of weariness, man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. ⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done. And there is no new thing under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us. ¹¹ There is no remembrance of the former things, nor shall there be any remembrance of the latter that are to come, among those who shall come after. ¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. It is a great tribulation that God has given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. ¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. ¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. ¹⁶ I communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten for me great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yea, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. ¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.