Ecclesiastes 1
Expanded Bible
1 These are the words of the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; C of a group], a son of David, king in Jerusalem [C an allusion to Solomon].
2 The ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1] says,
“·Useless [Meaningless; or Absurd; or Enigmatic; or Transient; T Vanity; L Vapor; Bubble; C and so throughout this book]! Useless!
Completely useless!
Everything is useless.”
3 What do people really ·gain [profit]
from all the ·hard work [toil] they do ·here on earth [L under the sun]?
Things Never Change
4 ·People live [L A generation goes], and ·people die [L a generation comes],
but the earth ·continues [endures; remains] forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets,
and then it ·hurries back [L pants] to where it rises again [Ps. 19:5–6].
6 ·The wind [L It] blows to the south;
it ·blows [L goes around] to the north.
·It blows from one direction and then another [L The wind goes round and round].
·Then it turns around and repeats the same pattern, going nowhere [L The wind keeps blowing in circles].
7 All the rivers flow to the sea,
but the sea never becomes full.
The rivers return to the place from which they flow.
8 Everything is ·boring [wearisome],
·so boring that you don’t even want to talk about it [L beyond words].
·Words come again and again to our ears,
but we never hear enough [L The ear is never satisfied with hearing],
nor ·can we ever really see all we want to see [L the eye with seeing].
9 ·All things continue the way they have been since the beginning [L Whatever is will be again].
What has happened will happen again;
there is nothing new ·here on earth [L under the sun; v. 3].
10 ·Someone might say [L Here is a common expression],
“Look, this is new,”
but ·really it has always been here [it was already here long ago].
It ·was here before we were [existed before our time].
11 ·People don’t remember what happened long ago [L There is no remembrance of the past],
·and in the future people will not remember what happens now [L nor will there be any remembrance of what will be in the future].
·Even later, other people will not remember what was done before them [L There is no remembrance of them among those who will exist in the future].
Does Wisdom Bring Happiness?
12 I, the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1], ·was [or have been] king over Israel in Jerusalem [1:1]. 13 I ·decided [devoted myself] to use my wisdom to ·learn [explore] about everything that happens ·on earth [L under heaven; v. 3]. I learned that God has given ·us terrible things to face [or the human race an evil/unhappy task to keep us occupied]. 14 I ·looked at [observed] everything done ·on earth [L under the sun; v. 3] and saw that it is all useless [v. 2], like chasing the wind.
15 If something is ·crooked [bent],
you can’t make it straight.
If something is missing,
you can’t ·say it is there [L count it; C something is wrong with the world and it cannot be fixed].
16 I ·said to myself [L spoke with/to my heart], “I have ·become very wise and am now wiser than [surpassed in wisdom] anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I ·know what wisdom and knowledge really are [L have observed much wisdom and knowledge].” 17 So I ·decided to find out about [L gave my heart to understand] wisdom and knowledge and also ·about foolish thinking [madness and folly], but this turned out to be like chasing the wind.
18 With much wisdom comes much ·disappointment [frustration];
the person who gains more knowledge also gains more ·sorrow [pain].
Ecclesiastes 1
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David and king in Jerusalem.
2 Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities! All is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and vainglory).(A)
3 What profit does man have left from all his toil at which he toils [a]under the sun? [Is life worth living?]
4 One generation goes and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.(B)
5 The sun also rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind goes to the south and circles about to the north; it circles and circles about continually, and on its circuit the wind returns again.(C)
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the rivers come, to there and from there they return again.
8 All things are weary with toil and all words are feeble; man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.(D)
9 The thing that has been—it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] which were before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former happenings or men, neither will there be any remembrance of happenings of generations that are to come by those who are to come after them.
12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human] [b]wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which [c]God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.
16 I entered into counsel with my own mind, saying, Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom, yes, more than all who have been over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge.
17 And I gave my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I perceived that this also is a searching after wind and a feeding on it.(E)
18 For in much [human] wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 Ecclesiastes is the book of the natural man whose interests are confined to the unstable, vanishing pleasures and empty satisfactions of those who live merely “under the sun.” The natural man is not aware that all the affirmative answers to life are to be found in Him Who is above, not “under,” the sun. The natural man grovels in the dust and finds only earthworms, while the spiritual man may soar on wings like eagles (Isa. 40:31) above all that is futile and disappointing, and may live in the consciousness of God’s companionship, favor, and incomparable, everlasting rewards.
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 The “Wisdom” of Proverbs is not the “wisdom” of Ecclesiastes. The former is Godlike, the latter is usually human.
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 Throughout this book not once is the Supreme Being recognized as “Lord” [of lords and King of kings]. The word used to designate Him is invariably the one that may be applied to God or to idols—“Elohim,” the God recognized “under the sun.” The wisdom which is thus limited can end only in “a miserable business” and in vexation of spirit until it finds “the wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17 kjv), “the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (I Cor. 2:7 kjv).
Ecclesiastes 1
International Standard Version
The Theme
1 The words of the Teacher,[a] the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “Utterly pointless,”[b]
says the Teacher.
“Absolutely pointless;
everything is pointless.”
3 What does a man gain
from all of the work that he undertakes on earth?[c]
The Predictability of Life
4 A generation goes,
a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises,
the sun sets,
then rushes back to where it arose.
6 The wind blows southward,
then northward, constantly circulating,
and the wind comes back again in its courses.
7 All the rivers flow toward the sea,
but the sea is never full;
then rivers return to the headwaters[d] where they began.
8 Everything is wearisome,
more than man is able to express.
The eye is never satisfied by seeing,
nor the ear by hearing.
9 Whatever has happened, will happen again;
whatever has been done, will be done again.
There is nothing new on earth.
10 Does anything exist about which someone might say,
“Look at this! Is this new?”
It happened ages ago;
it existed before we did.
11 No one remembers those in the past,
nor will they be remembered
by those who come after them.
A Testimony to an Unwise Search
12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I dedicated myself to using wisdom for study and discovery of everything that is done under heaven.[e] God uses terrible things so human beings will struggle with life.[f] 14 I observed every activity done on earth. My conclusion: all of it is pointless—like chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight;
what is not there cannot be counted.
16 I told myself, “I have become greater and wiser than anyone who ruled before me in Jerusalem—yes, I have acquired a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 So I dedicated myself to learn about wisdom and knowledge, and about insanity and foolishness. And I discovered that this is also like chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom there is much sorrow;
the more someone adds to knowledge,
the more someone adds to grief.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or Speaker, Or Philosopher, and so throughout the book
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 Or Utter vanity; and so throughout the book
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 Lit. under the sun; i.e. from an earthly perspective; and so throughout the book
- Ecclesiastes 1:7 Lit. place
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 I.e. from a heavenly perspective
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 The Heb. lacks with life
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