Ecclesiastes 1

²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

³What do people gain from all the toil

at which they toil under the sun?

⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

⁵The sun rises and the sun goes down,

and hurries to the place where it rises.

⁶The wind blows to the south,

and goes around to the north;

round and round goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

⁷All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they continue to flow.

⁸All things are wearisome;

more than one can express;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

or the ear filled with hearing.

⁹What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done;

there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been,

in the ages before us.

¹¹The people of long ago are not remembered,

nor will there be any remembrance

of people yet to come

by those who come after them.

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁸For in much wisdom is much vexation,

and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.