| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem." | 1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 2Absolute futility," says the Teacher." Absolute futility. Everything is futile." | 2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. |
| 3What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? | 3What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? |
| 4A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. | 4A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. |
| 5The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to its place where it rises. | 5The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. |
| 6Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. | 6The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. |
| 7All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The streams are flowing to the place, and they flow there again. | 7All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. |
| 8All things are wearisome; man is unable to speak. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. | 8All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. |
| 9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. | 9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. |
| 10Can one say about anything," Look, this is new"? It has already existed in the ages before us. | 10Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. |
| 11There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them. | 11There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. |
| 12I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. | 12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 13I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. | 13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. |
| 14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. | 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. |
| 15What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. | 15What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. |
| 16I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge." | 16I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” |
| 17I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. | 17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. |
| 18For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases. | 18For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. |
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