Ecclesiastes
Chapter 1
Ecclesiastes opens with a teacher, a son of David and king in Jerusalem, giving his verdict on life: everything is empty, like a breath that quickly passes. He points to the sun, the wind, and the rivers, which move in endless circles and get nowhere, and to people, who are born, die, and are forgotten. He then describes his own search: he used his wisdom to study everything done in the world, and found no lasting gain in any of it. The chapter sets up the question the rest of the book works on.
Plain reading written for preteens. Clear and complete, at about a fifth grade reading level.
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
1These are the words of the Teacher, a son of David, who was king in Jerusalem.
2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
2"Empty, so empty," says the Teacher. "Everything is empty. It is all a puff of breath."
"Vanity" here does not mean being proud of your looks. The old word stands for a Hebrew word meaning a breath or a puff of vapor: something thin that is gone in a moment.
3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
3What does a person really gain from all the hard work they do here on earth?
"Under the sun" is a phrase used all through this book. It means life here in this world, in the ordinary place where people live and work.
4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
4One group of people lives and dies, and the next group comes along. But the earth stays right where it is.
5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
5The sun comes up, and the sun goes down. Then it hurries back to the place where it rises again.
6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
6The wind blows to the south, then turns to the north. It spins around and around, always coming back on the same path.
7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
7All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea never fills up. The water goes back to where the rivers start, and they run again.
8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
8Everything is tiring, more than anyone can put into words. Eyes never see enough. Ears never hear enough.
9The 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.
9What has happened before will happen again. What has been done will be done again. There is nothing new here on earth.
10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
10Is there anything you can point at and say, "Look, this is new"? It was already here long ago, before we were born.
11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
11Nobody remembers the people who came before. And the people who come later will not be remembered either.
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And 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.
13I made up my mind to study and explore, using wisdom, everything that is done in the world. It is a heavy job God has given people to keep them busy.
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
14I have seen everything that is done here on earth. It is all empty, like chasing after the wind.
"Vexation of spirit" is an old way of saying chasing after the wind, which is work that catches nothing.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
15What is bent cannot be made straight. What is missing cannot be counted.
In 1611 English, "wanting" meant missing or lacking, not wishing for something.
16I 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.
16I said to myself, "I have become great. I am wiser than anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. My mind has taken in a great deal of wisdom and knowledge."
17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
17So I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also madness and foolishness. I learned that this too is chasing after the wind.
18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
18Because a lot of wisdom brings a lot of sadness. The more a person knows, the more it hurts.
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