Eclesiastes 1

1

These are the wordes of the Preacher, the sonne of Dauid, kynge of Ierusalem.

2

All is but vanite (saieth ye preacher) all is but playne vanite.

3

For what els hath a ma, of all the labor yt he taketh vnder the Sonne?

4

One generacio passeth awaye, another commeth, but the earth abydeth still.

5

The Sone aryseth, the Sonne goeth downe, & returneth to his place, yt he maye there ryse vp agayne.

6

The wynde goeth towarde ye South, & fetcheth his copase aboute vnto the North, & so turneth in to himself agayne.

7

All floudes runne in to the see, & yet the see is not fylled: for loke vnto what place the waters runne, thence they come agayne.

8

All thinges are so harde, yt no ma can expresse them. The eye is not satisfied wt sight, the eare is not fylled wt hearinge.

9

The thinge yt hath bene, cometh to passe agayne: & ye thinge yt hath bene done, is done agayne, there is no new thinge vnder the Sonne.

10

Is there eny thinge, wherof it maye be sayde: lo, this is new? For it was loge agoo in the tymes yt haue bene before vs.

11

The thinge yt is past, is out of remebraunce: Eue so the thiges that are for to come, shal no more be thought vpo amoge the that come after.

12

I myself ye Preacher, beynge kynge of Israel & Ierusale,

13

applyed my mynde to seke out & search for the knowlege of all thiges yt are done vnder heaue. Soch trauayle & labor hath God geue vnto ye childre of me, to exercyse the selues theri.

14

Thus I haue considered all the thinges that come to passe vnder the Sone, & lo, they are all but vanite & vexacion of mynde.

15

The croked can not be mayde straight, & the fautes ca not be nobred.

16

I comoned wt myne owne herte, sayege: lo, I am come to a greate estate, and haue gotte more wy?dome, the all they yt haue bene before me in Ierusalem. Yee my hert had greate experiece of wy?dome & knowlege,

17

for there vnto I applyed my mynde: yt I might knowe what were wy?dome & vnderstodinge, what were error & foolishnes. And I perceaued yt this also was but a vexacion of mynde:

18

for where moch wy?dome is, there is also greate trauayle & disquietnes: & ye more knowlege a man hath, the more is his care.