Ecc 1 | LSB | STEP | The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1

All Is Vanity

1 The words of the ^{▼▼Or speaker of an assembly, leader of an assembly; or possibly the one who gathers an assembly; Heb Qoheleth}Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 “ ^{▼▼Or Futility of futilities}Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“ ^{▼▼Or Futility of futilities}Vanity of vanities! All is ^{▼▼Or futile}vanity.”
3 What advantage does man have in all his labor
In which he labors under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth stands forever.
5 Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And ^{▼▼Lit panting}hastening to its place it rises there again.
6 Going toward the south,
Then ^{▼▼Lit turning}circling toward the north,
The wind goes ^{▼▼Lit turning}circling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7 All the rivers go into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers go,
There they ^{▼▼Lit turn to go}continually go.
8 All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to speak of it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one might say,
“See this, it is new”?
Already it has been for ages
Which were before us.
11 There is no remembrance of ^{▼▼Lit first, former}earlier things;
And also of the ^{▼▼Lit latter, after}later things which will be,
There will be for them no remembrance
Among those who will come ^{▼▼Lit latter, after}later still.

The Vanity of Wisdom

12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I gave my heart to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is ^{▼▼Lit an evil}a grievous endeavor which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is ^{▼▼Or futility}vanity and striving after wind. 15 What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I spoke within my heart, saying, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my heart has seen an abundance of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and simpleminded folly; I came to know that this also is striving after wind. 18 Because in much wisdom there is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain.