1The words of Qoheleth, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2Vanity of vanities, said Qoheleth, vanity of vanities—all is vanity.
3What profit does a person have in all his toil at which he toils under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth stands forever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets, and to its place it pants, rising there again.
6Going toward the south, then circling toward the north, round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
7All the streams go to the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place where the streams go, there they return to go again.
8All words are wearisome; no one is able to speak. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing at all new under the sun.
10Is there a thing of which one says, “See, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages that were before us.
11There is no remembrance of former things, and also of the later things that will be there will be no remembrance among those who come afterward.
12I, Qoheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I gave my heart to seek out and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. It is an evil business that God has given to the sons of man to be occupied with.
14I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
15What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I spoke with my heart, saying, “I, behold, I have grown great and increased in wisdom above all who were before me over Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”
17And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I came to know that this too is a chasing after wind.
18For in much wisdom is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain.
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