-
The Vanity of Life
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
-
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
-
What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?
-
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.
-
The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit.
-
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.
-
All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing.
-
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.
-
Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.
-
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.
-
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
-
What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
-
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.”
-
And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.
-
For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
-
The Vanity of Pleasure
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.
-
I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
-
I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.
-
I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.
-
I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.
-
So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
-
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
-
The End of the Wise and the Fool
Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?— Only what he has already done.
-
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness.
-
The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.