Ecclesiastes 1
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1These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. Everything Is Meaningless1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
7Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
8Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.9The 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.
10Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
12I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.13And 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.
14I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered.15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am 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 of wisdom and knowledge.
17So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Proverbs 31
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