Study Desk

The wordes of the Preacher, the son of Dauid, King in Ierusalem.

Uanitie of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie.

What profite hath a man of all his labour which hee taketh vnder the Sunne?

One generation passeth away, and another generation commeth: but the earth abideth for euer.

The Sunne also ariseth, and the Sunne goeth downe, and hasteth to the place where he arose.

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.

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.

All things are full of labour, man cannot vtter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare filled with hearing.

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.

Is there any thing, whereof it may be sayd, See, this is new? it hath beene already of olde time, which was before vs.

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.

I the Preacher was king ouer Israel in Ierusalem.

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.

I haue seene all the workes that are done vnder the Sunne, and behold, all is vanitie, and vexation of spirit.

That which is crooked, cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbred.

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.

And I gaue my heart to know wisedome, and to know madnesse and folly: I perceiued that this also is vexation of spirit.

For in much wisedome is much griefe: and hee that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.