Ecclesiastes 1

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

2'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher; 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!'

3What advantage does a man have in all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

4A generation comes and a generation goes, But the earth stands forever.

5The sun rises and the sun sets And returns to its place.

6The wind rises and goes toward the south And swirls towards the north.

7All the rivers flow to the sea, Yet the sea shall not be filled.

8Neither will the eye be satisfied with seeing, Nor will the ear be filled with hearing.

9What has been is what will be, And what has been done is what will be done.

10For it has already been in the ages That have passed before us.

11There is no remembrance of former things, And indeed, there shall be no remembrance of later things By the things that will come after that.

12I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13I gave my heart to seek out and to prepare myself in wisdom concerning all the things done under heaven; for God has given painful distraction to the sons of men to be occupied therewith.

14I beheld all the works done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and is the choice of one's spirit.

15That which has become crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be counted.

16I spoke in my heart, saying, 'Behold, I have become great, and have acquired wisdom beyond all before me in Jerusalem; and my heart has experienced much wisdom and knowledge.'

17I gave my heart to know wisdom and knowledge, to learn proverbs and understanding. And this, too, was waywardness of spirit.

18There is abundance of knowledge, And he who increases knowledge will increase suffering.