The Vanity of Life
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David,king in Jerusalem.
2 “Vanityof vanities,” says the Preacher;
# “Vanity of vanities,allisvanity.”
3 What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
4 Onegeneration passes away, andanothergeneration comes;
# But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
7 All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the seaisnot full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
8 All thingsarefull of labor;
Man cannot expressit.
# The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has beeniswhat will be,
That whichisdone is what will be done,
Andthereisnothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, thisisnew”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
11 Thereisno remembrance of formerthings,
Nor will there be any remembrance ofthingsthat are to come
Bythosewho will come after.
The Grief of Wisdom
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I set my heart to seek andsearch out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven;this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, allisvanity and grasping for the wind.
15 Whatiscrooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
16 I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gainedmore wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”
17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.
18 Forin much wisdomismuch grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.