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          DASV: Ecclesiastes 1    

1 The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 "Vanity of vanities,"
      says the Teacher [Qohelet].
      "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

3 What benefit does one get from all his effort
     at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation comes, a generation goes,
     but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets,
     and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
6 The wind blows to the south,
     and turns around to the north;
   it goes round and round,
     continually circling back around.
7 All the rivers run into the sea,
     yet the sea is not full.
  To the place where the rivers flow,
     there they go again.
8 All things are full of weariness,
     more than one can ever say.
  The eye is never satisfied with seeing,
     or the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been
     is exactly that which will be;
   what has already been done,
     is what will be done again.
      There is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which it may be said,
     "Look, here is something new?"
   It has already been done long ago,
     in the ages before our time.
11 No one remembers what happened in the past;
     nor will anyone remember the things that are coming,
           by those who come after them.

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I dedicated my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom
all that is done under heaven. It is an onerous burden that
God has laid on human beings to be busy about.
14 I have seen all the accomplishments that are done under
the sun; and conclude, all is vanity, as futile as chasing
the wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
     what is missing cannot be counted.

16 I said to myself, "I have achieved great wisdom beyond
all who ruled Jerusalem before me." My mind has carefully
observed wisdom and knowledge.
17 I devoted my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness
and folly. I realized that this, too, was as futile as
chasing the wind.

18 For with much wisdom, comes much grief,
     the one who increases knowledge, increases sorrow.

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