1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, 3What advantage does man have in all his work 4A generation goes and a generation comes, 5Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; 6Blowing toward the south, 7All the rivers flow into the sea, 8All things are wearisome;
10Is there anything of which one might say, 11There is no remembrance of earlier things; The Futility of Wisdom 12I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. 15What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. 18Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org Bible Hub |