Ecclesiastes 1

Reflections of a Royal Philosopher

¹The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.^*

²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.^*

³What do people gain from all the toil

at which they toil under the sun?^*

⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.^*

⁵The sun rises, and the sun goes down

and hurries to the place where it rises.^*

⁶The wind blows to the south

and goes around to the north;

round and round goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.^*

⁷All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they continue to flow.

⁸All things^a are wearisome,

more than one can express;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing

or the ear filled with hearing.^*

⁹What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done;

there is nothing new under the sun.^*

¹⁰Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been

in the ages before us.

¹¹The people of long ago are not remembered,

nor will there be any remembrance

of people yet to come

by those who come after them.

The Futility of Seeking Wisdom

¹²I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³I applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to humans to be busy with.^{* 14}I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun, and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.^*

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.^*

¹⁶I said to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”^{* 17}And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind.^*

¹⁸For in much wisdom is much vexation,

and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.^*