1
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These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: |
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2
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“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!” |
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3
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What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun? |
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4
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Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. |
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5
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The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises. |
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6
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The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course. |
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7
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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. |
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8
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All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing. |
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9
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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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10
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Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. |
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11
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There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after. |
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12
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I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
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13
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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! |
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14
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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. |
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15
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What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted. |
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16
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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.” |
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17
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So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind. |
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18
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For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases. |
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