1901 American Standard Version (ASV)

Ecclesiastes 1

1 The preacher sheweth that all human courses are vain: 4 because the creatures are restless in their courses, 9 they bring forth nothing new, and all old things are forgotten, 12 and because he hath found it so in the studies of wisdom.

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

 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

 1:3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?

 1:4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.

 1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.

 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.

 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

 1:8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

 1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

 1:10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

 1:11 There is no remembrance of the former [generations]; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter [generations] that are to come, among those that shall come after.

 1:12 ¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

 1:13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

 1:15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

 1:16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

 1:17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.