Ecclesiastes, the Preacher

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- Chapter 1 -

All is in vain

These are the words of the Teacher,(a) the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

“Futility

(b)

of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”

What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?

Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.

The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.

All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.

All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.

What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.

There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.

With wisdom comes sorrow

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 Or the Convener or the Preacher or the leader of the assembly; Hebrew Qoheleth is rendered as the Teacher throughout Ecclesiastes.

(b)1:2 Literally vapor or breath; the Hebrew words translated in Ecclesiastes as forms of futile or fleeting can also be translated as vanity or meaningless.

All is in vain

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.

The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.

All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold,(a) this is new”? It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

With wisdom comes sorrow

I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God

(b)

has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Footnotes

(a)1:10 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

(b)1:13 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).