| 1 | The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 2 | Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. |
| 3 | What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? |
| 4 | A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. |
| 5 | The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises. |
| 6 | The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. |
| 7 | All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow. |
| 8 | All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing. |
| 9 | What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. |
| 10 | Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has already been, in the ages before us. |
| 11 | The people of long ago are not remembered, nor will there be any remembrance of people yet to come by those who come after them. |
| 12 | I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, |
| 13 | applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. |
| 14 | I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. |
| 15 | What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. |
| 16 | I said to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” |
| 17 | And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind. |
| 18 | For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow. |