Ecclesiastes 1
1 Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
The words of the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.
2 “Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.
3 What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
What profit hath a man of all his labor, which he taketh under the sun?
4 People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
[One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6 The wind blows south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about to the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to its circuits.
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 rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; to the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
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 things [are] full of labor; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
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.
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.
Is there [any] thing of which it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was 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] no remembrance of former [things]; neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.
12 I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.
I the preacher was 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 gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this grievous labor hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised with 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 are done under the sun; and behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
15 You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
[That which is] crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot 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 communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have come to great estate, and have gained more wisdom than all [they] that have been before me in Jerusalem: and my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
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 gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
