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 in 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 man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth 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 standeth 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 its place where it ariseth.
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 towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again 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: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither 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.
All things are full of toil; none can express 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.
That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and 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 a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already in the ages which 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 no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards.
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 applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.
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 pursuit of the wind.
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 mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much 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 applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.
18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
