| 1:1 | The Vanity of LifeThe Problem of Wisdom The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 1:2 | Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." |
| 1:3 | What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? |
| 1:4 | One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. |
| 1:5 | The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. |
| 1:6 | The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. |
| 1:7 | All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. |
| 1:8 | All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. |
| 1:9 | That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. |
| 1:10 | Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. |
| 1:11 | There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.The Grief of Wisdom |
| 1:12 | I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 1:13 | And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. |
| 1:14 | I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. |
| 1:15 | What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered. |
| 1:16 | I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." |
| 1:17 | And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. |
| 1:18 | For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. |