Ecclesiastes 1:1-4 in English

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 man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?

⁴ One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³ What advantage is there to a man in all his labour that he takes under the sun?

⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes: but the earth stands for ever.

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.

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.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³ What advantage is there to a man in all his labor that he takes under the sun?

⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes: but the earth stands for ever.

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 man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?

⁴ One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.

¹ I am Solomon, the son of King David. I rule in Jerusalem and people call me ❛The ◄Preacher/Religious Teacher►❜.

² I say that everything is mysterious; everything is hard for me to understand; it is difficult to understand why everything happens.

³ ◄What do people gain from all the work that they do here on the earth?/It seems that people gain no lasting benefit from all the work that they do here on the earth.► RHQ

⁴ Each year old people die and babies are born, but the earth never changes.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³ What advantage is there to a man in all his labour that he takes under the sun?

⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes: but the earth stands for ever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.

³ What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.

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 man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever.

¹ The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.

³ What hath a man more of all his labour, that he taketh under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth standeth for ever.

¹ Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.

² “Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.

³ What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?

⁴ People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!

¹ The wordes of the Preacher, the sonne of Dauid King in Ierusalem.

² Vanitie of vanities, sayth the Preacher: vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie.

³ What remaineth vnto man in all his trauaile, which he suffereth vnder ye sunne?

⁴ One generation passeth, and another generation succeedeth: but the earth remaineth for euer.

¹ THE WORDS OF the Koheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

³ What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.

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.

¹ The words of Koheleth, the son of David, the king in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth, vanity of vanities: all is vanity.

³ What profit hath a man of all his toil which he toil-eth under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth endureth for ever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³ What advantage is there to a man In all his labor that he takes under the sun?

⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes: But the earth stands forever.

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 by all his labor with which he wearieth himself under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; while the earth abideth for ever.

¹ These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.

² The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions.

³ What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

³ What profit hath a man of all his labor, which he taketh under the sun?

⁴ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

¹ The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says Kohelet; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Vanity of vanities,” says Kohelet; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

³ What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?

⁴ One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.

¹ The words of Ecclesiastes, son of David, king of Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes; vanity of vanities, and all things be vanity.

³ What hath a man moreover of all his travail, by which he travaileth under the sun?

⁴ A generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth standeth without end.

¹ The words of Ecclesiastes, son of David, king of Jerusalem.

² Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes; vanity of vanities, and all things be vanity. (Emptiness and futility, said Ecclesiastes; emptiness and futility, yea, everything is empty and futile.)

³ What hath a man moreover of all his travail, by which he travaileth under the sun? (What profiteth a person from all his labour, that he laboureth at under the sun?)

⁴ A generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth standeth without end. (One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth endureth forever.)

¹ Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole is vanity.

³ What advantage is to man by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?

⁴ A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.