Ecclesiastes, 1

1. Composition of Qoheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem.

1. The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2. Sheer futility, Qoheleth says. Sheer futility: everything is futile!

2. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.

3. What profit can we show for all our toil, toiling under the sun?

3. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4. A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever.

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

5. The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises.

5. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6. Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; then back to its circling goes the wind.

6. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7. Into the sea go all the rivers, and yet the sea is never filled, and still to their goal the rivers go.

7. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

8. All things are wearisome. No one can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fill of hearing.

8. All things [are] full of labour; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

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

9. The 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.

10. Take anything which people acclaim as being new: it existed in the centuries preceding us.

10. Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11. No memory remains of the past, and so it will be for the centuries to come -- they will not be remembered by their successors.

11. [There is] no remembrance of former [things]; neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.

12. I, Qoheleth, have reigned over Israel in Jerusalem.

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

13. Wisely I have applied myself to investigation and exploration of everything that happens under heaven. What a wearisome task God has given humanity to keep us busy!

13. And 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.

14. I have seen everything that is done under the sun: how futile it all is, mere chasing after the wind!

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

15. What is twisted cannot be straightened, what is not there cannot be counted.

15. [That which is] crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16. I thought to myself: I have acquired a greater stock of wisdom than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I myself have mastered every kind of wisdom and science.

16. 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.

17. I have applied myself to understanding philosophy and science, stupidity and folly, and I now realise that all this too is chasing after the wind.

17. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18. Much wisdom, much grief; the more knowledge, the more sorrow.

18. For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.