The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
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Divrei Kohelet, Ben Dovid, Melech in Yerushalayim.
2 All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.
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Hevel havalim, saith Kohelet, hevel havalim; all is hevel.
3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?
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What profit hath a man from all his amal (toil) which he hath toiled under the shemesh?
4 One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.
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Dor v’dor, generations come and go, passing away; but ha’aretz remaineth l’olam.
5 The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.
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The shemesh also ariseth, and the shemesh goeth down, and hasteth to its place, there to arise again.
6 The wind goes to the south, turning back again to the north; circling round for ever.
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The ruach (wind) goeth toward the darom (south), and turneth about unto the tzafon (north); it whirleth about continually, and the ruach returneth again according to its circuits.
7 All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
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All the neharot (rivers) run into the yam; yet the yam is not full; unto the place from whence the neharot come, thither they return to go again.
8 All things are full of weariness; man may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.
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All things are wearisome; no ish can express it; the ayin is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ozen full with hearing.
9 That which has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will be done, and there is no new thing under the sun.
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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 nothing chadash under the shemesh.
10 Is there anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was before us.
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Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is chadash? L’olamim (ages ago), which were before us, it hath been already.
11 There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.
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There is no zichron (remembrance) of former things; neither shall there be with those who come after any zikaron (recollection) of things that are to come.
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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I, Kohelet, was Melech over Yisroel in Yerushalayim.
13 And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.
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And I set my lev to seek and search out by chochmah concerning all things that are done under Shomayim; what grievous task hath Elohim given to the bnei haAdam to be afflicted therewith.
14 I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
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I have seen all the ma’asim that are done under the shemesh; and, hinei, all is hevel and chasing after ruach (wind).
15 That which is bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.
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That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and chesron (that which is lacking) cannot be numbered.
16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem--yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.
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I communed with mine own lev, saying, Hinei, I am come to greatness, even greater chochmah than all they that have been before me over Yerushalayim; yea, my lev had great experience of chochmah and da’as.
17 And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.
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And I applied my lev to have da’as of chochmah, and to have da’as of holelot (madness) and sichlut (folly); I perceived that this also is striving after ruach (wind).
18 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.
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For in much chochmah (wisdom) is much ka’as (grief, vexation); and he that increaseth da’as increaseth mach’ov (sorrow).
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The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.