Ecclesiastes 1

English Standard Version

^2 (C)Vanity^[b] of vanities, says ^(D)the Preacher,
    ^(E)vanity of vanities! ^(F)All is vanity.
^3 (G)What ^(H)does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?
⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but ^(I)the earth remains forever.
^5 (J)The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens^[c] to the place where it rises.
^6 (K)The wind blows to the south
    and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
    and on its circuits the wind returns.
⁷ All ^(L)streams run to the sea,
    but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
    there they flow again.
⁸ All things are full of weariness;
    a man cannot utter it;
^(M)the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    nor the ear filled with hearing.
^9 (N)What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done,
    and there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it is said,
    “See, this is new”?
It has been ^(O)already
    in the ages before us.
¹¹ There is no ^(P)remembrance of former things,^[d]
    nor will there be any remembrance
of later things^[e] yet to be
    among those who come after.

^15 (U)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
    and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁸ For ^(Z)in much wisdom is much vexation,
    and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.