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1:1  The words of Qoheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem.
1:2  Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! Everything is vanity.
1:3  What profit does anyone gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
1:4  One generation passes away and another generation succeeds it, but the earth stands firm forever.
1:5  The sun rises and the sun sets; then it returns to the place where it rises.
1:6  The wind blows southward and then veers to the north, constantly turning as it repeats its course.
1:7  All the rivers go to the sea, and yet the sea never overflows, for the rivers continue to return to their place of origin.
1:8  All things are wearisome and very difficult to express. The eyes are not satisfied with seeing and the ears do not have their fill of hearing.
1:9  What has been will be so again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
1:10  Whatever is perceived to be new has already existed in the ages before us.
1:11  Those people who died in ages past are no longer remembered, and the people yet to be born will not be remembered by those who come after them.
1:12  When I, Qoheleth, ruled as king over Israel in Jerusalem,
1:13  I applied the wisdom I possessed to study and explore everything that is done under the sun, a thankless task that God has given to men to keep us occupied.
1:14  I have seen everything that has been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after the wind.
1:15  What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
1:16  I thought to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, far surpassing all those who preceded me in Jerusalem. My mind has mastered every facet of wisdom and knowledge.”
1:17  However, as I applied my mind to gain a complete understanding of wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly, I came to realize that this too is a chase after the wind.
1:18  For much wisdom can result in much sorrow, and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief.