Ecclesiastes 1:9-18

New King James Version

⁹^(A)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.
¹⁰Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
¹¹There is ^(B)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

¹²I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I set my heart to seek and ^(C)search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; ^(D)this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be ^[a]exercised. ¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

¹⁵^(E)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.

¹⁶I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained ^(F)more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has ^[b]understood great wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷^(G)And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

¹⁸For ^(H)in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

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