Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 1

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 Composition of Qoheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem.	1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Sheer futility, Qoheleth says. Sheer futility: everything is futile!	2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What profit can we show for al our toil, toiling under the sun?	3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever.	4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains for ever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises.	5 The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; then back to its circling goesthe wind.	6 The wind blows to the south, and goes round to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 Into the sea go al the rivers, and yet the sea is never fil ed, and stil to their goal the rivers go.	7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
8 Al things are wearisome. No one can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fil ofhearing.	8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What was, wil be again, what has been done, wil be done again, and there is nothing new under thesun!	9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Take anything which people acclaim as being new: it existed in the centuries preceding us.	10 Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already, in the ages before us.
11 No memory remains of the past, and so it wil be for the centuries to come -- they will not beremembered by their successors.	11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to happen among those who come after.
12 I, Qoheleth, have reigned over Israel in Jerusalem.	12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Wisely I have applied myself to investigation and exploration of everything that happens under heaven.What a wearisome task God has given humanity to keep us busy!	13 And I applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with.
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun: how futile it al is, mere chasing after the wind!	14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened, what is not there cannot be counted.	15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.
16 I thought to myself: I have acquired a greater stock of wisdom than anyone before me in Jerusalem. Imyself have mastered every kind of wisdom and science.	16 I said to myself, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."
17 I have applied myself to understanding philosophy and science, stupidity and fol y, and I now realisethat all this too is chasing after the wind.	17 And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
18 Much wisdom, much grief; the more knowledge, the more sorrow.	18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.