A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but (A)the earth remains forever.
(B)The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
    and hastens[a] to the place where it rises.
(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.
All (D)streams run to the sea,
    but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
    there they flow again.
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.
(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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:5 Or and returns panting
  2. Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or former people
  3. Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or later people

Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 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. 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.

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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