Ecclesiastes 1:4-11
English Standard Version
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but (A)the earth remains forever.
5 (B)The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens[a] to the place where it rises.
6 (C)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.
7 All (D)streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
(E)the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 (F)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.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been (G)already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no (H)remembrance of former things,[b]
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things[c] yet to be
among those who come after.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:5 Or and returns panting
- Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or former people
- Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or later people
Ecclesiastes 1:4-11
New Living Translation
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers 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. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
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