KJV

Ecclesiastes 1

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1¶ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.

3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4¶ [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

8All things [are] full of labour; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9¶ The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun.

10Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11[There is] no remembrance of former [things]; neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.

12¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

15[That which is] crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all [they] that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

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Covetousness: General Scriptures Concerning Ecclesiastes 1:2–8

“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!” / What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun? / Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Deja Vu Ecclesiastes 1:9–11

What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. / Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. / There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.

Experience: Solomon's Ecclesiastes 1:2

“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”

Instruction: from Nature Ecclesiastes 1:13–18

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them! / I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. / What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Investigation: General Scriptures Concerning Ecclesiastes 1:13–18

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them! / I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. / What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Man: Spirit Ecclesiastes 1:8

All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.

Pleasure: Worldly Ecclesiastes 1:17

So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

Rivers: Run Into the Sea Ecclesiastes 1:7

All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.

Science: Observations of, and Deductions From, Facts Ecclesiastes 1:13–17

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them! / I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. / What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Solomon: Wealth of Ecclesiastes 1:16

I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

Solomon: Wisdom and Fame of Ecclesiastes 1:16

I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

Technology Ecclesiastes 1:9

What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

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