Chapter 1
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Ecclesiastes 1:12; Ecclesiastes 7:27; Ecclesiastes 12:-2;
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
Psalm 39:5; Psalm 39:6; Psalm 39:9; Psalm 39:19; Psalm 144:4; Ecclesiastes 12:8; Romans 8:20;
3 What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 2:22; Ecclesiastes 3:9;
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.
Job 38:10; Psalm 104:8; Psalm 104:9;
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.
Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:10;
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.
1 Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 3:13; 1 Kings 4:30; 1 Kings 10:7; 1 Kings 10:23; Ecclesiastes 2:9;
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.
Ecclesiastes 2:3; Ecclesiastes 2:12; Ecclesiastes 7:23; Ecclesiastes 7:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:21;
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.