Ecclesiastes or, the Preacher

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

 2 ^aVanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is ^bvanity.

 3 What ^aprofit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

 4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the ^aearth abideth for ever.

 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to ^ahis circuits.

 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

 8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not ^asatisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no ^anew thing under the sun.

 10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

 11 There is no ^aremembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

 12 ¶I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

 13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by ^awisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this ^bsore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is ^avanity and ^bvexation of spirit.

 15 That which is ^acrooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

 16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, ^aI am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

 17 And I gave my ^aheart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

 18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth ^aknowledge increaseth ^bsorrow.