章 |
1:1 |
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
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1:2 |
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
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1:3 |
What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?
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1:4 |
A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.
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1:5 |
Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again.
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1:6 |
Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.
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1:7 |
All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.
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1:8 |
All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
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1:9 |
That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.
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1:10 |
Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new"? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us.
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1:11 |
There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still.
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1:12 |
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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1:13 |
And 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.
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1:14 |
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.
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1:15 |
What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.
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1:16 |
I 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."
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1:17 |
And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.
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1:18 |
Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
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