1:1  The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

1:2  "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.""

1:3  What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?

1:4  A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.

1:5  Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there {again.}

1:6  Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.

1:7  All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.

1:8  All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell {it.} The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

1:9  That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

1:10  Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us."

1:11  There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later {still.}

1:12  I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

1:13  And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. {It} is a grievous task {which} God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

1:14  I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

1:15  What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

1:16  I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."

1:17  And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.

1:18  Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge {results in} increasing pain.