Ecclesiastes, 1

Douay-Rheims Version

1 The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.

3 What hath a man more of all his labour, that he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth standeth for ever.

5 The sun riseth, and goeth down, and returneth to his place: and there rising again,

6 Maketh his round by the south, and turneth again to the north: the spirit goeth forward surveying all places round about, and returneth to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea doth not overflow: unto the place from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again.

8 All things are hard: man cannot explain them by word. The eye is not filled with seeing, neither is the ear filled with hearing.

9 What is it that hath been? the same thing that shall be. What is it that hath been done? the same that shall be done.

10 Nothing under the sun is new, neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new: for it hath already gone before in the ages that were before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things: nor indeed of those things which hereafter are to come, shall there be any remembrance with them that shall be in the latter end.

12 I Ecclesiastes was king over Israel in Jerusalem,

13 And I proposed in my mind to seek and search out wisely concerning all things that are done under the sun. This painful occupation hath God given to the children of men, to be exercised therein.

14 I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity, and vexation of spirit.

15 The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite.

16 I have spoken in my heart, saying: Behold I am become great, and have gone beyond all in wisdom, that were before me in Jerusalem: and my mind hath contemplated many things wisely, and I have learned.

17 And I have given my heart to know prudence, and learning, and errors, and folly: and I have perceived that in these also there was labour, and vexation of spirit,

18 Because In much wisdom there is much indignation: and he that addeth knowledge, addeth also labour.




Versículos relacionados com Ecclesiastes, 1:

Ecclesiastes 1 begins with the author, who presents himself as "the preacher", expressing his frustration and hopelessness about life. He argues that everything is vanity and running after the wind, for things do not change, and all we have is the futility of human existence. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Ecclesiastes 1:

Psalm 39:5 - "Behold, he gave my days a span in length; my life is nothing before you; in fact, every man, as firm, is pure vanity." This verse highlights the idea that life is passing and of little importance before God, which echoes the central idea of ​​Ecclesiastes 1.

James 4:14 - "For you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? This verse brings a message similar to that found in Ecclesiastes 1 by emphasizing the brevity of human life and the uncertainty of the future.

Isaiah 40:7-8-"Dry the grass, and the flower falls, blowing in it the breath of the Lord. In fact, the people are grass; the grass is dried, and their flower falls; but the word of Our God remains forever. " This verse has a vision similar to that presented in Ecclesiastes 1, of which everything is transitory and perishable.

Job 8:9 - "Because we are yesterday and we know nothing, because our days on earth are like a shadow." This verse expresses the idea that human life is brief and insignificant, which resonates with the feeling of hopelessness found in Ecclesiastes 1.

Psalm 90:10 - "The days of our lives come to seventy years, and if some, for their robustness, come to eighty years, their measure is tired and boring; for it passes quickly, and we fly." This verse emphasizes the brevity of human life and the fleeting of time, a recurring theme in Ecclesiastes 1.


Chapters: