| Christian Standard Bible | New International Version |
| 1The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. | 1The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: |
| 2"Absolute futility," says the Teacher. "Absolute futility. Everything is futile." | 2"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." |
| 3What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? | 3What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? |
| 4A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. | 4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. |
| 5The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises. | 5The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. |
| 6Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. | 6The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. |
| 7All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. | 7All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. |
| 8All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. | 8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. |
| 9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. | 9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. |
| 10Can one say about anything, "Look, this is new"? It has already existed in the ages before us. | 10Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. |
| 11There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them. | 11No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. |
| 12I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. | 12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 13I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. | 13I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! |
| 14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. | 14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. |
| 15What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. | 15What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. |
| 16I said to myself, "See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge." | 16I said to myself, "Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." |
| 17I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. | 17Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. |
| 18For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases. | 18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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