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¹ The wordes of the Preacher, the son of Dauid, King in Ierusalem. ² Uanitie of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie. ³ What profite hath a man of all his labour which hee taketh vnder the Sunne?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation commeth: but the earth abideth for euer. ⁵ The Sunne also ariseth, and the Sunne goeth downe, and hasteth to the place where he arose. ⁶ The winde goeth toward the South, and turneth about vnto the North; it whirleth about continually, and the winde returneth againe according to his circuits. ⁷ All the riuers runne into the sea, yet the Sea is not full: vnto the place from whence the riuers come, thither they returne againe. 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 The thing that hath beene, it is that which shall be: and that which is done, is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing vnder the sunne. ¹⁰ Is there any thing, whereof it may be sayd, See, this is new? it hath beene already of olde time, which was before vs. ¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there bee any remembrance of things that are to come, with those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king ouer Israel in Ierusalem. ¹³ And I gaue my heart to seeke and search out by wisedome, concerning all things that are done vnder heauen: this sore trauell hath God giuen to the sonnes of man, to be exercised therewith. ¹⁴ I haue seene all the workes that are done vnder the Sunne, and behold, all is vanitie, and vexation of spirit. ¹⁵ That which is crooked, cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbred. ¹⁶ I communed with mine owne heart, saying, Loe, I am come to great estate, and haue gotten more wisedome then all they that haue beene before me in Ierusalem: yea my heart had great experience of wisedome & knowledge. ¹⁷ And I gaue my heart to know wisedome, and to know madnesse and folly: I perceiued that this also is vexation of spirit. ¹⁸ For in much wisedome is much griefe: and hee that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.