Ecclesiastes 1
1
Opening motto
1The words of the Teacher of the Assembly,#1.1 Or Gatherer or Convener or Assembler (Heb Qoheleth); see also 1:2, 12; 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10. David’s son, king in Jerusalem:
2Perfectly pointless,#1.2 Or meaningless or vapor or puff of air (Heb hebel, which often occurs in the book) says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
Everything is pointless.
Some things are inevitable
3What do people gain from all the hard work
that they work so hard at under the sun?
4A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains as it always has.
5The sun rises, the sun sets;
it returns panting to the place where it dawns.
6The wind blows to the south,
goes around to the north;
around and around blows the wind;
the wind returns to its rounds again.
7All streams flow to the sea,
but the sea is never full;
to the place where the rivers flow,
there they continue to flow.
8All words#1.8 Or things are tiring;
no one is able to speak.
The eye isn’t satisfied with seeing,
neither is the ear filled up by hearing.
9Whatever has happened—that’s what will happen again;
whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again.
There’s nothing new under the sun. 10People may say about something: “Look at this! It’s new!” But it was already around for ages before us. 11There’s no remembrance of things in the past, nor of things to come in the future. Neither will there be any remembrance among those who come along in the future.
The Teacher’s quest
12I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.
14When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.
15What’s crooked can’t be straightened;
what isn’t there can’t be counted.
16I said to myself, Look here, I have grown much wiser than any who ruled over Jerusalem before me. My mind has absorbed great wisdom and knowledge. 17But when I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also to understand madness and folly, I realized that this too was just wind chasing.
18Remember:
In much wisdom is much aggravation;
the more knowledge, the more pain.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 1
1
All Is Vanity
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? 4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full: unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9The 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. 10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
The Experience of the Preacher
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 #
1 Kgs 4.29-31. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.