1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?
3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter (it): the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
10 Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
11 There is no remembrance of the former (generations); neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter (generations) that are to come, among those that shall come after.
11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I communed with mine own hear, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.
17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.