Ecclesiastes 1

Revised Geneva Translation

1 The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the preacher, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.

³ “What remains to man in all his travail which he suffers under the Sun?”

⁴ One generation passes, and another generation succeeds. But the Earth remains forever.

⁵ The Sun rises, and the Sun goes down, and hastens to its place where it arose.

⁶ The wind goes toward the south, and circles around toward the north. The wind whirls about continually and returns by its circuits.

⁷ All the rivers go into the sea. Yet the sea is not full. For the rivers go to the place from where they have returned.

⁸ All things are full of labor. Man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ What has been is what will be. And what has been done is what shall be done. And there is no new thing under the Sun.

¹⁰ Is there anything of which one may say, “Behold this, it is new?” It has already been in the previous time before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of former things, nor shall there be a remembrance of things to come by those who shall come after.

¹² I, the preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I have given my heart to search and find out wisdom by all things that are done under the heaven. God has given this sore travail to the sons of men to humble them.

¹⁴ I have considered all the works that are done under the Sun and behold, all is vanity and grasping at the wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can no one make straight. And that which fails cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I thought in my heart, and said, “Behold, I have become great, and exceed in wisdom all those who have been before me in Jerusalem. And my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and foolishness. I knew also that this is grasping at the wind.

¹⁸ For in the multitude of wisdom is much grief. And he who increases knowledge, increases sorrow.