Ecclesiastes 1

English Standard Version

All Is Vanity

1 The words of ^(A)the Preacher,^[a] the son of David, ^(B)king in Jerusalem.

²^(C)Vanity^[b] of vanities, says ^(D)the Preacher,
    ^(E)vanity of vanities! ^(F)All is vanity.
³^(G)What ^(H)does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?
⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but ^(I)the earth remains forever.
⁵^(J)The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens^[c] to the place where it rises.
⁶^(K)The 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 ^(L)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 full of weariness;
    a man cannot utter it;
^(M)the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    nor the ear filled with hearing.
⁹^(N)What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done,
    and there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰Is there a thing of which it is said,
    “See, this is new”?
It has been ^(O)already
    in the ages before us.
¹¹There is no ^(P)remembrance of former things,^[d]
    nor will there be any remembrance
of later things^[e] yet to be
    among those who come after.

The Vanity of Wisdom

¹²I ^(Q)the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I ^(R)applied my heart^[f] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy ^(S)business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is ^(T)vanity^[g] and a striving after wind.^[h]

¹⁵^(U)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I said in my heart, “I have acquired great ^(V)wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷And I ^(W)applied my heart to know wisdom and to know ^(X)madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but ^(Y)a striving after wind.

¹⁸For ^(Z)in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or Convener, or Collector; Hebrew Qoheleth (so throughout Ecclesiastes)
Ecclesiastes 1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context). It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 1:5 Or and returns panting
Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or former people
Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or later people
Ecclesiastes 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
Ecclesiastes 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)

Song of Solomon 1

English Standard Version

1 The Song of ^(A)Songs, which is Solomon's.

The Bride Confesses Her Love

She^[a]

²Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your ^(B)love is better than wine;
³    your ^(C)anointing oils are fragrant;
your ^(D)name is oil poured out;
    therefore virgins love you.
⁴^(E)Draw me after you; ^(F)let us run.
    ^(G)The king has brought me into his chambers.

Others

We will ^(H)exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol ^(I)your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.

She

⁵I am very dark, but ^(J)lovely,
    O ^(K)daughters of Jerusalem,
like ^(L)the tents of ^(M)Kedar,
    like the curtains of Solomon.
⁶Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
    because the sun has looked upon me.
My ^(N)mother's sons were angry with me;
    they made me ^(O)keeper of ^(P)the vineyards,
    but ^(Q)my own vineyard I have not kept!
⁷Tell me, you ^(R)whom my soul loves,
    where you ^(S)pasture your flock,
    where you make it ^(T)lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
    beside the flocks of your ^(U)companions?

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

⁸If you do not know,
    O ^(V)most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
    and pasture your young goats
    beside the shepherds' tents.

⁹I compare you, ^(W)my love,
to ^(X)a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
¹⁰^(Y)Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.

Others

¹¹We will make for you^[b] ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.

She

¹²While ^(Z)the king was on his couch,
    my ^(AA)nard gave forth its fragrance.
¹³My beloved is to me a sachet of ^(AB)myrrh
    that lies between my breasts.
¹⁴My beloved is to me a cluster of ^(AC)henna blossoms
    in the vineyards of ^(AD)Engedi.

He

¹⁵^(AE)Behold, ^(AF)you are beautiful, ^(AG)my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your ^(AH)eyes are doves.

She

¹⁶Behold, you are beautiful, ^(AI)my beloved, truly ^(AJ)delightful.
Our couch is green;
¹⁷ the beams of our house are ^(AK)cedar;
our rafters are ^(AL)pine.

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 1:2 The translators have added speaker identifications based on the gender and number of the Hebrew words
Song of Solomon 1:11 The Hebrew for you is feminine singular