Ecclesiastes 1
1 Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions.
3 What advantage [is] to man by all his labor that he labors at under the sun?
What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?
4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth is standing for all time.
One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 Also, the sun has risen, and the sun has gone in, and to its place panting it is rising there.
The sun rises, and it goes down and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
6 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.
The wind blows south and circles around to the north, always going around along its pathway and coming back again.
7 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.
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 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.
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] 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.
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 a thing of which [one] says: “See this, it [is] new!” Already it has been 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 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.
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, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 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.
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 the works that have been done under the sun, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of 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 A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
The twisted cannot be straightened! The missing cannot be counted!
16 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.
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 give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] distress of 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 for in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who adds knowledge adds pain.”
For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
