1 The wordes of the Preacher, the sonne of Dauid King in Ierusalem. 2 Vanitie of vanities, sayth the Preacher: vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie. 3 What remaineth vnto man in all his trauaile, which he suffereth vnder ye sunne? 4 One generation passeth, and another generation succeedeth: but the earth remaineth for euer. 5 The sunne riseth, and ye sunne goeth downe, and draweth to his place, where he riseth. 6 The winde goeth toward the South, and compasseth towarde the North: the winde goeth rounde about, and returneth by his circuites. 7 All the riuers goe into the sea, yet the sea is not full: for the riuers goe vnto ye place, whence they returne, and goe. 8 All things are full of labour: man cannot vtter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare filled with hearing. 9 What is it that hath bene? that that shalbe: and what is it that hath bene done? that which shalbe done: and there is no newe thing vnder the sunne. 10 Is there any thing, whereof one may say, Beholde this, it is newe? it hath bene already in the olde time that was before vs. 11 There is no memorie of the former, neither shall there be a remembrance of the latter that shalbe, with them that shall come after. 12 I the Preacher haue bene King ouer Israel in Ierusalem: 13 And I haue giuen mine heart to search and finde out wisdome by all things that are done vnder the heauen: (this sore trauaile hath GOD giuen to the sonnes of men, to humble them thereby) 14 I haue considered all the workes that are done vnder the sunne, and beholde, all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit. 15 That which is crooked, can none make straight: and that which faileth, cannot be nombred. 16 I thought in mine heart, and said, Behold, I am become great, and excell in wisdome all them that haue bene before me in Ierusalem: and mine heart hath seene much wisedome and knowledge. 17 And I gaue mine heart to knowe wisdome and knowledge, madnes and foolishnes: I knew also that this is a vexation of the spirit. 18 For in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorowe.
Life Is Useless
1 These are the words of the Philosopher, David's son, who was king in Jerusalem.
2 It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless. 3 You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the world stays just the same. 5 The sun still rises, and it still goes down, going wearily back to where it must start all over again. 6 The wind blows south, the wind blows north—round and round and back again. 7 Every river flows into the sea, but the sea is not yet full. The water returns to where the rivers began, and starts all over again. 8 Everything leads to weariness—a weariness too great for words. Our eyes can never see enough to be satisfied; our ears can never hear enough. 9 What has happened before will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new in the whole world. 10 “Look,” they say, “here is something new!” But no, it has all happened before, long before we were born. 11 No one remembers what has happened in the past, and no one in days to come will remember what happens between now and then.
The Philosopher's Experience
12 I, the Philosopher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I determined that I would examine and study all the things that are done in this world.
God has laid a miserable fate upon us. 14 I have seen everything done in this world, and I tell you, it is all useless. It is like chasing the wind. 15 You can't straighten out what is crooked; you can't count things that aren't there.
16 I told myself, “I have become a great man, far wiser than anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are.” 17 I was determined to learn the difference between knowledge and foolishness, wisdom and madness. But I found out that I might as well be chasing the wind. 18 The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.