Ecclesiastes 1:7-18 in English

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of the former generations; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter generations that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not filled: to the place whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labour; a man will not be able to speak of them: neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.

⁹ What is that which has been? the very thing which shall be: and what is that which has been done? the very thing which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Who is he that shall speak and say, Behold, this is new? it has already been in the ages that have passed before us.

¹¹ There is no memorial to the first things; neither to the things that have been last shall their memorial be with them that shall be at the last time.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, for God has given to the sons of men an evil trouble to be troubled therewith.

¹⁴ I beheld all the works that were wrought under the sun; and, behold, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and deficiency cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, and have acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem: also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And my heart knew much—wisdom, and knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit.

¹⁸ For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not filled: to the place whence the rivers come, there they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labor; a man will not be able to speak of them: neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.

⁹ What is that which has been? the very thing which shall be: and what is that which has been done? the very thing which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Who is he that shall speak and say, Behold, this is new? it has already been in the ages that have passed before us.

¹¹ There is no memorial to the first things; neither to the things that have been last shall their memorial be with them that shall at the last time.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, for God has given to the sons of men an evil trouble to be troubled therewith.

¹⁴ I *saw all the works that were wrought under the sun; and, *saw, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight: and deficiency can’t be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, and have acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem: also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And my heart knew much—wisdom, and knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit.

¹⁸ For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing whereof men say, See, this is new? it hath been already, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of the former generations; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter generations that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The water returns to the sky, and when it rains, the water returns to the rivers, and it flows again to the sea.

⁸ Everything is boring, with the result that we do not even want to talk about it. We SYN see things, but we always want to see more. We SYN hear things, but we always want to hear more.

⁹ Everything continues to be the same as it has always been; things that happen have happened previously, and they will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing really new in this world MTY.

¹⁰ Sometimes people say, “Look at this! This is something new RHQ!” But it has existed previously; it existed before we were born.

¹¹ People do not remember the things that happened long ago, and in the future, people will not remember what we are doing now.

¹² I, the Religious Teacher, have been the king of Israel for many years, ruling in Jerusalem.

¹³ By being wise, I concentrated on understanding everything that was being done on the earth MTY. But I found out that God causes all of us to experience things that cause us to be unhappy/miserable.

¹⁴ It seems that nothing that happens on the earth really enables us to do anything useful. It is like MET chasing the wind.

¹⁵ Many things that are crooked cannot be caused to become straight; we cannot count things that do not exist.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “ Hey, I am wiser than any of the kings that ruled in Jerusalem before I became the king. I am wiser and I know more than any of them!”

¹⁷ So I determined to learn more about being wise and to learn about knowing about many things, and also to learn about doing things that are very foolish DOU. But I found out that trying to understand those things was also useless, like chasing the wind.

¹⁸ The wiser I became, the more disappointed I became. The more things I knew about, the sadder I became.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not filled: to the place whence the rivers come, there they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labour; a man will not be able to speak of them: neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.

⁹ What is that which has been? the very thing which shall be: and what is that which has been done? the very thing which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Who is he that shall speak and say, Behold, this is new? it has already been in the ages that have passed before us.

¹¹ There is no memorial to the first things; neither to the things that have been last shall their memorial be with them that shall at the last time.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, for God has given to the sons of men an evil trouble to be troubled therewith.

¹⁴ I *saw all the works that were wrought under the sun; and, *saw, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight: and deficiency can’t be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, and have acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem: also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And my heart knew much—wisdom, and knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit.

¹⁸ For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, amongst those that shall come after.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness; man may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.

⁹ That which has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will be done, and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.

¹⁵ That which is bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.

¹⁶ I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem — yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.

¹⁸ Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

⁸ All things are full of toil; none can express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea doth not overflow: unto the place from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again.

⁸ All things are hard: man cannot explain them by word. The eye is not filled with seeing, neither is the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ What is it that hath been? the same thing that shall be. What is it that hath been done? the same that shall be done.

¹⁰ Nothing under the sun is new, neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new: for it hath already gone before in the ages that were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things: nor indeed of those things which hereafter are to come, shall there be any remembrance with them that shall be in the latter end.

¹² I Ecclesiastes was king over Israel in Jerusalem,

¹³ And I proposed in my mind to seek and search out wisely concerning all things that are done under the sun. This painful occupation hath God given to the children of men, to be exercised therein.

¹⁴ I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity, and vexation of spirit.

¹⁵ The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite.

¹⁶ I have spoken in my heart, saying: Behold I am become great, and have gone beyond all in wisdom, that were before me in Jerusalem: and my mind hath contemplated many things wisely, and I have learned.

¹⁷ And I have given my heart to know prudence, and learning, and errors, and folly: and I have perceived that in these also there was labour, and vexation of spirit,

¹⁸ Because In much wisdom there is much indignation: and he that addeth knowledge, addeth also labour.

⁷ Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.

⁸ Everything just keeps on going. You can't say all there is to say. You can't see all there is to see. You can't hear all there is to hear.

⁹ Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.

¹⁰ There's nothing anyone can point to and say, “Look! Here's something new.” In fact it's been around for ages, long before our time.

¹¹ The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.

¹² I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.

¹³ I decided to focus my mind to explore, using wisdom, everything that happens here on earth. This is a tough assignment that God has given people to keep them busy!

¹⁴ I examined everything people do here on earth, and discovered that it's all so temporary—trying to understand it is like trying to pin down the wind!

¹⁵ You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.

¹⁶ I thought to myself, “I've become very wise, wiser than all the kings of Jerusalem before me. My mind has gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ So I decided to use my mind to learn everything about wisdom, and madness and foolishness as well. But I found out that this is as hard as trying to catch hold of the wind.

¹⁸ For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.

⁷ All the riuers goe into the sea, yet the sea is not full: for the riuers goe vnto ye place, whence they returne, and goe.

⁸ All things are full of labour: man cannot vtter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare filled with hearing.

⁹ What is it that hath bene? that that shalbe: and what is it that hath bene done? that which shalbe done: and there is no newe thing vnder the sunne.

¹⁰ Is there any thing, whereof one may say, Beholde this, it is newe? it hath bene already in the olde time that was before vs.

¹¹ There is no memorie of the former, neither shall there be a remembrance of the latter that shalbe, with them that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher haue bene King ouer Israel in Ierusalem:

¹³ And I haue giuen mine heart to search and finde out wisdome by all things that are done vnder the heauen: (this sore trauaile hath GOD giuen to the sonnes of men, to humble them thereby)

¹⁴ I haue considered all the workes that are done vnder the sunne, and beholde, all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked, can none make straight: and that which faileth, cannot be nombred.

¹⁶ I thought in mine heart, and said, Behold, I am become great, and excell in wisdome all them that haue bene before me in Ierusalem: and mine heart hath seene much wisedome and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gaue mine heart to knowe wisdome and knowledge, madnes and foolishnes: I knew also that this is a vexation of the spirit.

¹⁸ For in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorowe.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

⁸ All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing whereof it is said: 'See, this is new'? — it hath been already, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; it is a sore task that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke with my own heart, saying: 'Lo, I have gotten great wisdom, more also than all that were before me over Jerusalem'; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly — I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is never full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither will they continue to go.

⁸ All things weary themselves constantly; man can not utter them: the eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which hath been, is the same which will be; and that which hath been done, is the same which will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰ If there be any thing whereof it is said, See, this is new: It hath already been in olden times which were before us.

¹¹ Only there is no recollection of former generations; and also of the later ones, that are to be—of these likewise there will be no recollection with those that will be still later.

¹² I Koheleth was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I directed my heart to inquire and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this is an evil employment which God hath given to the sons of man to busy themselves therewith.

¹⁴ I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun: and, behold, all is vanity and a torture of the spirit.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is defective cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have truly obtained greater and more wisdom than all those who have been before me over Jerusalem: yea, my heart had seen much wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I directed my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly; but I have perceived that this also is a torture of the spirit.

¹⁸ For where there is much wisdom there is much vexation: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth pain.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; And yet the sea is not filled: To the place whence the rivers come, Thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labor; A man will not be able to speak of them: Neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, Neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.

⁹ What is that which has been? the very thing which shall be: And what is that which has been done? the very thing which shall be done: And there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Who is he that shall speak and say, Behold, this is new? It has already been in the ages That have passed before us.

¹¹ There is no memorial to the first things; Neither to the things that have been last Shall their memorial be With them that shall be at the last time.

¹² I the Preacher Was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I applied my heart to seek out And examine by wisdom concerning all things That are done under heaven, For God has given to the sons of men An evil trouble To be troubled therewith.

¹⁴ I beheld all the works That were wrought under the sun; And, behold, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: And deficiency cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, And have acquired wisdom beyond all Who were before me in Jerusalem: Also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And my heart knew much—wisdom, and knowledge, Parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit.

¹⁸ For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; And he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place whence the rivers come, thither they return.

⁸ All words become weary; man cannot express it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ The thing that hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there any thing of which one may say, “Behold, this is new”? It was long ago, in the times which were before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things, and of things that are to come there shall be no remembrance to those who live afterwards.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel at Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my mind to seek and to search out with wisdom concerning all things which are done under heaven; an evil business, which God hath given to the sons of men, in which to employ themselves.

¹⁴ I saw all the things which are done under the sun; and, behold, it was all vanity, and striving after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with my heart, saying, “Behold, I have gained more and greater wisdom than all who have been before me at Jerusalem; yea, my mind hath seen much wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ And I gave my mind to know wisdom, and to know senselessness and folly; I perceived that this also is striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. To the place where the rivers go, there they go again.

⁸ Everything becomes wearisome, and no one can explain it. The eye is not satisfied by what it sees, nor is the ear fulfilled by what it hears.

⁹ Whatever has been is what will be, and whatever has been done is what will be done. There is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there anything about which it may be said, 'Look, this is new'? Whatever exists has already existed for a long time, during ages which came long before us.

¹¹ No one seems to remember the things that happened in ancient times, and the things that happened much later and that will happen in the future will not likely be remembered either.”

¹² I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my mind to study and to search out by wisdom everything that is done under heaven. That search is a burdensome task that God has given to the children of mankind to be busy with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all amount to vapor and chasing the wind.

¹⁵ The twisted cannot be straightened! The missing cannot be counted!

¹⁶ I have spoken to my heart saying, “Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind.

¹⁸ For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, amongst those that shall come after.

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

⁸ All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it : the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there any thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things ; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

¹² I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this grievous labor hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised with it.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

¹⁶ I communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I have come to great estate, and have gained more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: and my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

¹² I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

⁸ All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, amongst those that shall come after.

¹² I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁵ That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹⁷ I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

⁷ All floods enter into the sea, and the sea floweth not over the marks set of God; the floods turn again to the place from whence they come forth, that they flow out again.

⁸ All things be hard; a man may not declare those things by word; the eye is not filled by sight, neither the ear is filled by hearing.

⁹ What is that thing that was, that that shall come? What is that thing that is made, that that shall be made? Nothing under the sun is new,

¹⁰ neither any man may say, Lo! this thing is new; for now it went before in worlds, that were before us.

¹¹ Mind of the former things is not, but soothly neither thinking of those things, that shall come afterward, shall be at them that shall come in the last time.

¹² I Ecclesiastes was king of Israel in Jerusalem;

¹³ and I purposed in my soul to seek and ensearch wisely of all things, that be made under the sun. God gave this evil occupation to the sons of men, that they should be occupied therein.

¹⁴ I saw all things that be made under the sun, and lo! all things be vanity and torment of spirit.

¹⁵ Wayward men be amended of hard; and the number of fools is great without end.

¹⁶ I spake in mine heart, and I said, Lo! I am made great, and I passed in wisdom all men, that were before me in Jerusalem; and my soul saw many things wisely, and I learned.

¹⁷ And I gave mine heart, that I should know prudence and doctrine, and errors and folly. And I knew that in these things also was travail and torment of spirit;

¹⁸ for in much wisdom is much indignation, and he that increaseth knowing, increaseth also travail.

⁷ All floods enter into the sea, and the sea floweth not over the marks set of God; the floods turn again to the place from whence they come forth, that they flow out again. (All the rivers enter into the sea, and the sea floweth not over the boundaries set by God; the rivers return to the places from where they came forth, only so that they can flow out again.)

⁸ All things be hard; a man may not declare those things by word (or a person cannot declare all of these things with words alone); the eye is not (ful)filled by sight, neither the ear is filled by hearing.

⁹ What is that thing that was, that that shall come? What is that thing that is made, that that shall be made? Nothing under the sun is new, (What is that thing that was, but that which shall come again? What is that thing that is made, but that which shall be made later? Nothing is new under the sun,)

¹⁰ neither any man may say, Lo! this thing is new; for now it went before in worlds, that were before us. (nor can anyone say, Behold! this is new; for it hath already come before, in the time that was before us.)

¹¹ Mind of the former things is not, but soothly neither thinking of those things, that shall come afterward, shall be at them that shall come in the last time. (Remembering the former things is not done, and those things that come now, shall not be remembered by those who shall come after us.)

¹² I Ecclesiastes was king of Israel in Jerusalem;

¹³ and I purposed in my soul to seek and ensearch wisely of all things, that be made under the sun. God gave this evil occupation to the sons of men, that they should be occupied therein. (and I purposed in my mind to wisely seek out and to search into everything, that is done under the sun. God gave this difficult task to the sons and daughters of men, so that they would be occupied with it.)

¹⁴ I saw all things that be made under the sun, and lo! all things be vanity and torment of spirit. (I saw everything that is done under the sun, and behold! everything is empty and futile, like chasing the wind.)

¹⁵ Wayward men be amended of hard; and the number of fools is great without end. (The wayward can only be corrected with great difficulty; and the number of fools cannot be counted.)

¹⁶ I spake in mine heart, and I said, Lo! I am made great, and I passed in wisdom all men, that were before me in Jerusalem; and my soul saw many things wisely, and I learned. (I said in my heart, Behold! I am made great, and I have surpassed in wisdom all who were before me in Jerusalem; I have seen many things, and I have become wise, yea, I have learned much.)

¹⁷ And I gave mine heart, that I should know prudence and doctrine, and errors and folly. And I knew that in these things also was travail and torment of spirit; (And I gave my heart, or I applied my mind, so that I would understand wisdom and doctrine, and errors and foolishness. And I learned that all these things were also empty and futile, like chasing the wind;)

¹⁸ for in much wisdom is much indignation, and he that increaseth knowing, increaseth also travail. (for the greater one’s wisdom, the greater one’s anger,or one’s vexation, and he who increaseth his knowledge, also increaseth his own troubles.)

⁷ All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.

⁸ All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.

⁹ What is that which hath been? it is that which is, and what is that which hath been done? it is that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.

¹⁰ There is a thing of which one saith: 'See this, it is new!' already it hath been in the ages that were before us!

¹¹ There is not a remembrance of former generations; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.

¹² I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³ And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It is a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit!

¹⁵ A crooked thing one is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.

¹⁶ I — I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷ And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this is vexation of spirit;

¹⁸ for, in abundance of wisdom is abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'