Ecclesiastes 1:12-15

The Vanity of Wisdom

12 I 1the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I 2applied my heart[a] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy 3business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is 4vanity and a striving after wind.[b]
15 5What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Cross References 5

  • 1. ver. 1
  • 2. ver. 17; [1 Kings 4:33]
  • 3. Ecclesiastes 2:23, 26; Ecclesiastes 3:10; [Genesis 3:19]
  • 4. ver. 2; Ecclesiastes 2:11, 17, 26; Ecclesiastes 4:4; Ecclesiastes 6:9
  • 5. See Ecclesiastes 7:13

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
  • [b]. Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (so throughout Ecclesiastes)
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.