Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

²Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities! All is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and vainglory).^(A)

³What profit does man have left from all his toil at which he toils ^[a]under the sun? [Is life worth living?]

⁴One generation goes and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.^(B)

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Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 1:3 Ecclesiastes is the book of the natural man whose interests are confined to the unstable, vanishing pleasures and empty satisfactions of those who live merely “under the sun.” The natural man is not aware that all the affirmative answers to life are to be found in Him Who is above, not “under,” the sun. The natural man grovels in the dust and finds only earthworms, while the spiritual man may soar on wings like eagles (Isa. 40:31) above all that is futile and disappointing, and may live in the consciousness of God’s companionship, favor, and incomparable, everlasting rewards.