{1Ki 11:1:43; 2Ch 9:29-31; Ecc 1:1-11 **}
1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 1:2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. 1:3 What profit has man from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
1:4 One generation goes and another generation comes, but the earth abides everlasting. 1:5 The sun also arises and the sun goes down and hastens to its place where it arises. 1:6 The wind goes toward the south and turns around to the north. It turns around continually in its course and the wind returns again to its circuits. 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from where the rivers come, they go there again.
1:8 All things are full of weariness, man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
1:9 What has been is what will be and what has been done is what will be done. And there is no new thing under the sun. 1:10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has been a thing of old, in the ages which were before us.
1:11 There is no remembrance of the former things, nor will there be any remembrance of the latter that are to come, among those who will come after.
{Ecc 1:12-6:12 **}
1:12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 1:13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. It is a great task that God has given to the sons of men to be exercised by it.
1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
1:15 What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is wanting cannot be numbered.
1:16 I spoke with my own heart, saying, Behold, I have become great and have increased wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 1:17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and foolishness. I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.
1:18 Because in much wisdom is much grief and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.