Ecclesiastes 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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.'

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

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

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