1: The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2: Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity. 3: What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun? 4: [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever. 5: The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth. 6: The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again to its circuits. 7: All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. 8: All things are full of toil; none can express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9: That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and there is nothing new under the sun. 10: Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already in the ages which were before us. 11: There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards. 12: I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13: And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith. 14: I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind. 15: That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 16: I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge. 17: And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind. 18: For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.