Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 1"

Ecclesiastes 1

Third Millennium Bible TMB

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

2 "Vanity of vanities," saith the Preacher. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

3 What profit hath a man from all his labor which he doeth under the sun?

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

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

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 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 full of labor; man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

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 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, "See, this is new"? It hath been already in olden times which were before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things, neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those that shall come after.

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

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 all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, "Lo, I have 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 in wisdom and knowledge."

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

18 For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

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

2 "Absolutely pointless!" says the spokesman. "Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless."

3 What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun?

4 Generations come, and generations go, but the earth lasts forever.

5 The sun rises, and the sun sets, and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise [again].

6 The wind blows toward the south and shifts toward the north. Round and round it blows. It blows in a full circle.

7 All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The water goes back to the place where the streams began in order to [start] flowing again.

8 All of these sayings are worn-out phrases. They are more than anyone can express, comprehend, or understand.

9 Whatever has happened before will happen [again]. Whatever has been done before will be done [again]. There is nothing new under the sun.

10 Can you say that anything is new? It has already been here long before us.

11 Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us.

12 I, the spokesman, have been king of Israel in Jerusalem.

13 With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven. Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that God has placed on them.

14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It's all pointless. [It's like] trying to catch the wind.

15 No one can straighten what is bent. No one can count what is not there.

16 I thought to myself, "I have grown wiser than anyone who [has ruled] Jerusalem before me. I've had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge."

17 I've used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. [Now] I know that this is [like] trying to catch the wind.

18 With a lot of wisdom [comes] a lot of heartache. The greater [your] knowledge, the greater [your] pain.