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Ecclesiastes, the Preacher

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- Chapter 1 -

All is in vain

1
These are the words and sayings of the descendant of King David, who is king in Jerusalem. The people call me ‘The Teacher.’
2
The Teacher says, “Nothing is permanent. It is all like the morning mist or the wind; it goes and comes, but for what reason?
3
What do people gain from all the work that they do here on the earth?”
4
Each year old people die and babies are born, but the earth never changes.
5
Each morning the sun rises, and each evening it sets, and then it hurries around to where it started from.
6
The wind blows south, and then it turns around to start blowing to the north. It goes around and around in circles.
7
All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The water returns under the earth and comes up again into the rivers; then it flows to the sea again.
8
Everything is so unsatisfactory that we do not even want to talk about it. We see the same things, and we become bored with them. We hear the same things, but we want to hear something more.
9
Everything continues to be the same as it has always been. Things that happen have happened previously, and they will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing really new in this world.
10
Sometimes people say, “Look at this! This is something new!” But it has existed previously. It existed before we were born.
11
People do not remember the things that happened long ago, and in the future, people will not remember what we are doing now.

With wisdom comes sorrow

12
I, the Teacher, have been the king of Israel for many years, ruling in Jerusalem.
13
By using my wisdom, I concentrated on understanding everything that was being done on the earth. It is a task that wears me out, just like anyone else who tries it.
14
It seems that nothing that happens on the earth really enables us to do anything useful. It is like trying to control the wind.
15
Many things that are crooked cannot be caused to become straight. We cannot count things that we cannot see.
16
I said to myself, “I am wiser than any of those who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I am wiser and know more than any of them!”
17
So I determined to learn more about being wise, and also to learn about doing things that are very stupid and foolish. But I found out that trying to understand those things was also useless, like trying to control the wind.
18
Anyone who becomes very wise also becomes very frustrated. The more one knows, the sadder he becomes.
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All is in vain

1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
3
What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
4
One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.
5
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.
6
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.
7
All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
8
All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9
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.
10
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.
11
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

12
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13
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.
14
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
15
That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.
16
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.”
17
I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.
18
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).
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