< Ecclesiastes 1 >
1 Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
3 What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
What advantage [is] to man by all his labor that he labors at under the sun?
4 People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth is standing for all time.
5 The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
Also, the sun has risen, and the sun has gone in, and to its place panting it is rising there.
6 The wind blows south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
Going to the south, and turning around to the north, turning around, turning around, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind has returned.
7 Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.
All the streams are going to the sea, and the sea is not full; to a place to where the streams are going, there they are turning back to go.
8 Everything just keeps on going. You can't say all there is to say. You can't see all there is to see. You can't hear all there is to hear.
All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor is the ear filled from hearing.
9 Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
What [is] that which has been? It [is] that which is, and what [is] that which has been done? It [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
10 There's nothing anyone can point to and say, “Look! Here's something new.” In fact it's been around for ages, long before our time.
There is a thing of which [one] says: “See this, it [is] new!” Already it has been in the ages that were before us!
11 The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
12 I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.
I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I decided to focus my mind to explore, using wisdom, everything that happens here on earth. This is a tough assignment that God has given people to keep them busy!
And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that has been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God has given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
14 I examined everything people do here on earth, and discovered that it's all so temporary—trying to understand it is like trying to pin down the wind!
I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit!
15 You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
16 I thought to myself, “I've become very wise, wiser than all the kings of Jerusalem before me. My mind has gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.”
I spoke with my heart, saying, “I, behold, have magnified and added wisdom above everyone who has been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart has seen wisdom and knowledge abundantly.
17 So I decided to use my mind to learn everything about wisdom, and madness and foolishness as well. But I found out that this is as hard as trying to catch hold of the wind.
And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] distress of spirit;
18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
for in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who adds knowledge adds pain.”