Ecclesiastes 1
Expanded Bible
1 These are the words of the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; C of a group], a son of David, king in Jerusalem [C an allusion to Solomon].
2 The ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1] says,
“·Useless [Meaningless; or Absurd; or Enigmatic; or Transient; T Vanity; L Vapor; Bubble; C and so throughout this book]! Useless!
Completely useless!
Everything is useless.”
3 What do people really ·gain [profit]
from all the ·hard work [toil] they do ·here on earth [L under the sun]?
Things Never Change
4 ·People live [L A generation goes], and ·people die [L a generation comes],
but the earth ·continues [endures; remains] forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets,
and then it ·hurries back [L pants] to where it rises again [Ps. 19:5–6].
6 ·The wind [L It] blows to the south;
it ·blows [L goes around] to the north.
·It blows from one direction and then another [L The wind goes round and round].
·Then it turns around and repeats the same pattern, going nowhere [L The wind keeps blowing in circles].
7 All the rivers flow to the sea,
but the sea never becomes full.
The rivers return to the place from which they flow.
8 Everything is ·boring [wearisome],
·so boring that you don’t even want to talk about it [L beyond words].
·Words come again and again to our ears,
but we never hear enough [L The ear is never satisfied with hearing],
nor ·can we ever really see all we want to see [L the eye with seeing].
9 ·All things continue the way they have been since the beginning [L Whatever is will be again].
What has happened will happen again;
there is nothing new ·here on earth [L under the sun; v. 3].
10 ·Someone might say [L Here is a common expression],
“Look, this is new,”
but ·really it has always been here [it was already here long ago].
It ·was here before we were [existed before our time].
11 ·People don’t remember what happened long ago [L There is no remembrance of the past],
·and in the future people will not remember what happens now [L nor will there be any remembrance of what will be in the future].
·Even later, other people will not remember what was done before them [L There is no remembrance of them among those who will exist in the future].
Does Wisdom Bring Happiness?
12 I, the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1], ·was [or have been] king over Israel in Jerusalem [1:1]. 13 I ·decided [devoted myself] to use my wisdom to ·learn [explore] about everything that happens ·on earth [L under heaven; v. 3]. I learned that God has given ·us terrible things to face [or the human race an evil/unhappy task to keep us occupied]. 14 I ·looked at [observed] everything done ·on earth [L under the sun; v. 3] and saw that it is all useless [v. 2], like chasing the wind.
15 If something is ·crooked [bent],
you can’t make it straight.
If something is missing,
you can’t ·say it is there [L count it; C something is wrong with the world and it cannot be fixed].
16 I ·said to myself [L spoke with/to my heart], “I have ·become very wise and am now wiser than [surpassed in wisdom] anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I ·know what wisdom and knowledge really are [L have observed much wisdom and knowledge].” 17 So I ·decided to find out about [L gave my heart to understand] wisdom and knowledge and also ·about foolish thinking [madness and folly], but this turned out to be like chasing the wind.
18 With much wisdom comes much ·disappointment [frustration];
the person who gains more knowledge also gains more ·sorrow [pain].
Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
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.
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
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.
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