Ecclesiastes 1
1 Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.
2 “Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions.
3 What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?
4 People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
The sun rises, and it goes down and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
6 The wind blows south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
The wind blows south and circles around to the north, always going around along its pathway and coming back again.
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 flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. To the place where the rivers go, there they go 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.
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 Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
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'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 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 The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
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 am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.
I am the Teacher, and I 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!
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 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 deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all amount to vapor and chasing the wind.
15 You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
The twisted cannot be straightened! The missing cannot be counted!
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 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 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.
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 For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
