| 1:1 | The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 1:2 | "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all [is] vanity." |
| 1:3 | What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? |
| 1:4 | [One] generation passes away, and [another] generation comes; But the earth abides forever. |
| 1:5 | The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. |
| 1:6 | The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. |
| 1:7 | All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea [is] not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. |
| 1:8 | All things [are] full of labor; Man cannot express [it]. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. |
| 1:9 | That which has been [is] what will be, That which [is] done is what will be done, And [there is] nothing new under the sun. |
| 1:10 | Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this [is] new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. |
| 1:11 | [There is] no remembrance of former [things], Nor will there be any remembrance of [things] that are to come By [those] who will come after. |
| 1:12 | I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 1:13 | And I set my heart to seek and search 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. |
| 1:14 | I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all [is] vanity and grasping for the wind. |
| 1:15 | [What is] crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered. |
| 1:16 | I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." |
| 1:17 | And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. |
| 1:18 | For in much wisdom [is] much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. |
Ecclesiastes 1 - New King James Version
