---
title: Ecclesiastes 1
slug: kjv/ecclesiastes-1
createdAt: 2024-08-21T02:06:48.105Z
---

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

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

**3 **What 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.

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

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

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

**8 **All 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.

**10 **Is 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. **13 **And 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. **14 **I 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.

**16 **I 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. **17 **And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. **18 **For in much wisdom *is* much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.