Everything Is Futile 1 RV The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 RV Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. BSB BSB: “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 RV What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun? BSB BSB: What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 RV One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever. BSB BSB: Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
6 RV The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits. BSB BSB: The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 RV All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. BSB BSB: All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 RV All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it : the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. BSB BSB: All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 RV 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. BSB BSB: What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 RV Is there a thing whereof men say, See, this is new? it hath been already, in the ages which were before us. BSB BSB: Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 RV 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. BSB BSB: There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
With Wisdom Comes Sorrow 12 RV I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 RV 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. BSB BSB: And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 RV I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. BSB BSB: I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 RV That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. BSB BSB: What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 RV 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. BSB BSB: I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 RV And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. BSB BSB: So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 RV For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. BSB BSB: For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.