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

² Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.

³ What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?

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.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.