Ecclesiastes 1
1 Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
“Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
3 What advantage [is] to man by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?
What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.
People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
5 Also, the sun hath risen, and the sun hath gone in, and unto its place panting it is rising there.
The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
6 Going unto the south, and turning round unto the north, turning round, turning round, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind hath returned.
The wind blows south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
7 All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.
Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.
8 All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.
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.
9 What [is] that which hath been? it [is] that which is, and what [is] that which hath been done? it [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
10 There is a thing of which [one] saith: 'See this, it [is] new!' already it hath been in the ages that were before us!
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.
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.
The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
12 I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.
13 And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
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!
14 I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!
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!
15 A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
16 I — I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.
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.”
17 And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit;
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.
18 for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
