| New International Reader's Version (NIRV) |
New International Version (NIV) |
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1 These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also king in Jerusalem.
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1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
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2 "Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is completely meaningless! Nothing has any meaning."
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2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
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3 What does a man get for all of his work? Why does he work so hard on this earth?
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3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
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4 People come and people go. But the earth remains forever.
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4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
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5 The sun rises. Then it sets. And then it hurries back to where it rises.
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5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
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6 The wind blows to the south. Then it turns to the north. Around and around it goes. It always returns to where it started.
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6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
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7 Every stream flows into the ocean. But the ocean never gets full. The streams return to the place they came from.
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7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
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8 All things are tiresome. They are more tiresome than anyone can say. But our eyes never see enough of anything. Our ears never hear enough.
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8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
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9 Everything that has ever been will come back again. Everything that has ever been done will be done again. Nothing is new on earth.
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9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
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10 There isn't anything about which someone can say, "Look! Here's something new." It was already here long ago. It was here before we were.
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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.
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11 No one remembers the men of long ago. Even those who haven't been born yet won't be remembered by those who will be born after them.
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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.
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12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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13 I spent all of my time studying. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on men!
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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!
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14 I've seen what is done on this earth. It doesn't have any meaning. It's like chasing the wind.
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14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
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15 People can't straighten things that are twisted. They can't count things that don't even exist.
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15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
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16 I said to myself, "Look, my wisdom has really been growing. In fact, I'm now wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge."
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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."
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17 Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that that's also like chasing the wind.
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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.
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18 A lot of human wisdom leads to a lot of sorrow. More knowledge only brings more sadness.
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18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
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| Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Reader's Version Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
