A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.(A)
The sun rises and the sun sets;
panting, it hurries back to the place(B)
where it rises.
Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,(C)
and the wind returns in its cycles.
All the streams flow to the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
All things[a] are wearisome,
more than anyone can say.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing(D)
or the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Can one say about anything,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of those who[b] came before;(E)
and of those who will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:8 Or words
  2. 1:11 Or of the things that

Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.(A)
The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.(B)
The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.(C)
All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,(D)
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;(E)
    there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,(F)
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.(G)

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