< Ecclesiastes 1 >

1 The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, the king of Jerusalem.
These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.
2 Ecclesiastes said: Vanity of vanities! Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity!
The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions.
3 What more does a man have from all his labor, as he labors under the sun?
What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?
4 A generation passes away, and a generation arrives. But the earth stands forever.
One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and sets; it returns to its place, and from there, being born again,
The sun rises, and it goes down and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
6 it circles through the south, and arcs toward the north. The spirit continues on, illuminating everything in its circuit, and turning again in its cycle.
The wind blows south and circles around to the north, always going around along its pathway and coming back again.
7 All rivers enter into the sea, and the sea does not overflow. To the place from which the rivers go out, they return, so that they may flow again.
All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. To the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
8 Such things are difficult; man is not able to explain them with words. The eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor is the ear fulfilled by hearing.
Everything becomes wearisome, and no one can explain it. The eye is not satisfied by what it sees, nor is the ear fulfilled by what it hears.
9 What is it that has existed? The same shall exist in the future. What is it that has been done? The same shall continue to be done.
Whatever has been is what will be, and whatever has been done is what will be done. There is nothing new under the sun.
10 There is nothing new under the sun. Neither is anyone able to say: “Behold, this is new!” For it has already been brought forth in the ages that were before us.
Is there anything about which it may be said, 'Look, this is new'? Whatever exists has already existed for a long time, during ages which came long before us.
11 There is no remembrance of the former things. Indeed, neither shall there be any record of past things in the future, for those who will exist at the very end.
No one seems to remember the things that happened in ancient times, and the things that happened much later and that will happen in the future will not likely be remembered either.”
12 I, Ecclesiastes, was king of Israel at Jerusalem.
I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I was determined in my mind to seek and to investigate wisely, concerning all that is done under the sun. God has given this very difficult task to the sons of men, so that they may be occupied by it.
I applied my mind to study and to search out by wisdom everything that is done under heaven. That search is a burdensome task that God has given to the children of mankind to be busy with.
14 I have seen all that is done under the sun, and behold: all is emptiness and an affliction of the spirit.
I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all amount to vapor and chasing the wind.
15 The perverse are unwilling to be corrected, and the number of the foolish is boundless.
The twisted cannot be straightened! The missing cannot be counted!
16 I have spoken in my heart, saying: “Behold, I have achieved greatness, and I have surpassed all the wise who were before me in Jerusalem.” And my mind has contemplated many things wisely, and I have learned.
I have spoken to my heart saying, “Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge.”
17 And I have dedicated my heart, so that I may know prudence and doctrine, and also error and foolishness. Yet I recognize that, in these things also, there is hardship, and affliction of the spirit.
So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind.
18 Because of this, with much wisdom there is also much anger. And whoever adds knowledge, also adds hardship.
For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

< Ecclesiastes 1 >