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Ecclesiastes 1
Common English Bible
Ecclesiastes 1
Common English Bible
Opening motto
1 The words of the Teacher of the Assembly,[a] David’s son, king in Jerusalem:
2 Perfectly pointless,[b] says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
Everything is pointless.
Some things are inevitable
3 What do people gain from all the hard work
that they work so hard at under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains as it always has.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets;
it returns panting to the place where it dawns.
6 The wind blows to the south,
goes around to the north;
around and around blows the wind;
the wind returns to its rounds again.
7 All streams flow to the sea,
but the sea is never full;
to the place where the rivers flow,
there they continue to flow.
8 All words[c] are tiring;
no one is able to speak.
The eye isn’t satisfied with seeing,
neither is the ear filled up by hearing.
9 Whatever has happened—that’s what will happen again;
whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again.
There’s nothing new under the sun. 10 People may say about something: “Look at this! It’s new!” But it was already around for ages before us. 11 There’s no remembrance of things in the past, nor of things to come in the future. Neither will there be any remembrance among those who come along in the future.
The Teacher’s quest
12 I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.
14 When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.
15 What’s crooked can’t be straightened;
what isn’t there can’t be counted.
16 I said to myself, Look here, I have grown much wiser than any who ruled over Jerusalem before me. My mind has absorbed great wisdom and knowledge. 17 But when I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also to understand madness and folly, I realized that this too was just wind chasing.
18 Remember:
In much wisdom is much aggravation;
the more knowledge, the more pain.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or Gatherer or Convener or Assembler (Heb Qoheleth); see also 1:2, 12; 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10.
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 Or meaningless or vapor or puff of air (Heb hebel, which often occurs in the book)
- Ecclesiastes 1:8 Or things
Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
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 of all his labour which he taketh 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 hasteth 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 labour; 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 of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with 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 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.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Eclesiastés 1
Nueva Versión Internacional
Eclesiastés 1
Nueva Versión Internacional
Discurso inicial
1 Estas son las palabras del Maestro,[a] hijo de David, rey en Jerusalén.
2 Vanidad de vanidades
—dice el Maestro—,
vanidad de vanidades,
¡todo es vanidad!
3 ¿Qué provecho saca la gente
de tanto afanarse bajo el sol?
4 Generación va, generación viene,
mas la tierra permanece para siempre.
5 Sale el sol, se pone el sol;
afanoso vuelve a su punto de origen para de allí volver a salir.
6 Dirigiéndose al sur
o girando hacia el norte,
sin cesar gira el viento
y de nuevo vuelve a girar.
7 Todos los ríos van a dar al mar,
pero el mar jamás se llena.
A su punto de origen vuelven los ríos,
para de allí volver a fluir.
8 Todas las cosas cansan
más de lo que es posible expresar.
Ni se sacian los ojos de ver
ni se hartan los oídos de oír.
9 Lo que ya ha acontecido
volverá a acontecer;
lo que ya se ha hecho
se volverá a hacer.
¡No hay nada nuevo bajo el sol!
10 Hay quien llega a decir:
«¡Mira que esto sí es una novedad!».
Pero eso ya existía desde siempre,
entre aquellos que nos precedieron.
11 Nadie se acuerda de las generaciones anteriores,
como nadie se acordará de las últimas.
¡No habrá memoria de ellos
entre los que habrán de sucedernos!
Primeras conclusiones
12 Yo, el Maestro, reiné en Jerusalén sobre Israel. 13 Y me dediqué de lleno a explorar e investigar con sabiduría todo cuanto se hace bajo el cielo. ¡Penosa tarea ha impuesto Dios al género humano para abrumarlo con ella! 14 Y he observado todo cuanto se hace bajo el sol y todo ello es vanidad, ¡es correr tras el viento!
15 No se puede enderezar lo torcido
ni se puede contar lo que falta.
16 Me puse a reflexionar: «Aquí me tienen, engrandecido y con más sabiduría que todos mis antecesores en Jerusalén; habiendo experimentado abundante sabiduría y conocimiento. 17 Me he dedicado de lleno a la comprensión de la sabiduría, y hasta conozco la necedad y la insensatez. ¡Pero aun esto es querer alcanzar el viento! 18 Francamente,
»mientras más sabiduría, más problemas;
mientras más se sabe, más se sufre».
Footnotes
- 1:1 Maestro. Alt. Predicador; así en el resto de este libro.
Ecclesiastes 1
Common English Bible
Ecclesiastes 1
Common English Bible
Opening motto
1 The words of the Teacher of the Assembly,[a] David’s son, king in Jerusalem:
2 Perfectly pointless,[b] says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
Everything is pointless.
Some things are inevitable
3 What do people gain from all the hard work
that they work so hard at under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains as it always has.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets;
it returns panting to the place where it dawns.
6 The wind blows to the south,
goes around to the north;
around and around blows the wind;
the wind returns to its rounds again.
7 All streams flow to the sea,
but the sea is never full;
to the place where the rivers flow,
there they continue to flow.
8 All words[c] are tiring;
no one is able to speak.
The eye isn’t satisfied with seeing,
neither is the ear filled up by hearing.
9 Whatever has happened—that’s what will happen again;
whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again.
There’s nothing new under the sun. 10 People may say about something: “Look at this! It’s new!” But it was already around for ages before us. 11 There’s no remembrance of things in the past, nor of things to come in the future. Neither will there be any remembrance among those who come along in the future.
The Teacher’s quest
12 I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.
14 When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.
15 What’s crooked can’t be straightened;
what isn’t there can’t be counted.
16 I said to myself, Look here, I have grown much wiser than any who ruled over Jerusalem before me. My mind has absorbed great wisdom and knowledge. 17 But when I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also to understand madness and folly, I realized that this too was just wind chasing.
18 Remember:
In much wisdom is much aggravation;
the more knowledge, the more pain.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or Gatherer or Convener or Assembler (Heb Qoheleth); see also 1:2, 12; 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10.
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 Or meaningless or vapor or puff of air (Heb hebel, which often occurs in the book)
- Ecclesiastes 1:8 Or things
Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
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 of all his labour which he taketh 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 hasteth 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 labour; 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 of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with 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 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.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Eclesiastés 1
Nueva Versión Internacional
Eclesiastés 1
Nueva Versión Internacional
Discurso inicial
1 Estas son las palabras del Maestro,[a] hijo de David, rey en Jerusalén.
2 Vanidad de vanidades
—dice el Maestro—,
vanidad de vanidades,
¡todo es vanidad!
3 ¿Qué provecho saca la gente
de tanto afanarse bajo el sol?
4 Generación va, generación viene,
mas la tierra permanece para siempre.
5 Sale el sol, se pone el sol;
afanoso vuelve a su punto de origen para de allí volver a salir.
6 Dirigiéndose al sur
o girando hacia el norte,
sin cesar gira el viento
y de nuevo vuelve a girar.
7 Todos los ríos van a dar al mar,
pero el mar jamás se llena.
A su punto de origen vuelven los ríos,
para de allí volver a fluir.
8 Todas las cosas cansan
más de lo que es posible expresar.
Ni se sacian los ojos de ver
ni se hartan los oídos de oír.
9 Lo que ya ha acontecido
volverá a acontecer;
lo que ya se ha hecho
se volverá a hacer.
¡No hay nada nuevo bajo el sol!
10 Hay quien llega a decir:
«¡Mira que esto sí es una novedad!».
Pero eso ya existía desde siempre,
entre aquellos que nos precedieron.
11 Nadie se acuerda de las generaciones anteriores,
como nadie se acordará de las últimas.
¡No habrá memoria de ellos
entre los que habrán de sucedernos!
Primeras conclusiones
12 Yo, el Maestro, reiné en Jerusalén sobre Israel. 13 Y me dediqué de lleno a explorar e investigar con sabiduría todo cuanto se hace bajo el cielo. ¡Penosa tarea ha impuesto Dios al género humano para abrumarlo con ella! 14 Y he observado todo cuanto se hace bajo el sol y todo ello es vanidad, ¡es correr tras el viento!
15 No se puede enderezar lo torcido
ni se puede contar lo que falta.
16 Me puse a reflexionar: «Aquí me tienen, engrandecido y con más sabiduría que todos mis antecesores en Jerusalén; habiendo experimentado abundante sabiduría y conocimiento. 17 Me he dedicado de lleno a la comprensión de la sabiduría, y hasta conozco la necedad y la insensatez. ¡Pero aun esto es querer alcanzar el viento! 18 Francamente,
»mientras más sabiduría, más problemas;
mientras más se sabe, más se sufre».
Footnotes
- 1:1 Maestro. Alt. Predicador; así en el resto de este libro.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI) 
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