Philosophy

Ecclesiastes

Anonymous

Folio

length

5,726 words

a few pages a day

~8 min

finished in

4 days

full read

24 min

At Folio's default of ten pages a day, you finish Ecclesiastes in about 4 days — roughly 8 minutes of reading each morning.

The opening

the first pages of Ecclesiastes, free

21:001:006 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

21:001:007 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

21:001:008 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

21:001:009 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

21:001:010 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

21:001:011 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

21:001:012 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

21:001:013 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

21:001:014 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

21:001:015 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

21:001:016 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

21:001:017 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

21:001:018 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

21:002:001 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

21:002:002 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

21:002:003 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

21:002:004 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

21:002:005 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

21:002:006 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

21:002:007 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

21:002:008 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

21:002:009 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

21:002:010 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

21:002:011 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

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About this free edition

Ecclesiastes by Anonymous is free to read in full. Folio serves it in daily portions you can actually finish, tracks your streak and reading position across devices, and reads every page aloud with a built-in narrator. The text comes from Project Gutenberg.

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