Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 - Compare All Versions
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 NIV (New International Version)
What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 ESV (English Standard Version 2025)
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 NLT (New Living Translation)
What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 KJV (King James Version)
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 NKJV (New King James Version)
What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 MSG (The Message)
Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That’s what the Quester says.] There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke. What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it’s business as usual for old planet earth. The sun comes up and the sun goes down, then does it again, and again—the same old round. The wind blows south, the wind blows north. Around and around and around it blows, blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind. All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea never fills up. The rivers keep flowing to the same old place, and then start all over and do it again. Everything’s boring, utterly boring— no one can find any meaning in it. Boring to the eye, boring to the ear. What was will be again, what happened will happen again. There’s nothing new on this earth. Year after year it’s the same old thing. Does someone call out, “Hey, this is new”? Don’t get excited—it’s the same old story. Nobody remembers what happened yesterday. And the things that will happen tomorrow? Nobody’ll remember them either. Don’t count on being remembered.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 NASB2020 (New American Standard Bible - NASB)
¶What advantage does a person have in all his work Which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 AMP (Amplified Bible)
¶What advantage does man have from all his work Which he does under the sun (while earthbound)? One generation goes and another generation comes, But the earth remains forever. [Ps 119:90]
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 NET (New English Translation)
What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth? A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.