Nothing Makes Sense
1 When the son of David was king in Jerusalem, he was known to be very wise, and he said:
2 Nothing makes sense!
Everything is nonsense.
I have seen it all—
nothing makes sense!
3 What is there to show
for all of our hard work
here on this earth?
4 People come, and people go,
but still the world
never changes.
5 The sun comes up,
the sun goes down;
it hurries right back
to where it started from.
6 The wind blows south,
the wind blows north;
round and round it blows
over and over again.
7 All rivers empty into the sea,
but it never spills over;
one by one the rivers return
to their source.
8 All of life is far more boring
than words could ever say.
Our eyes and our ears
are never satisfied
with what we see and hear.
9 Everything that happens
has happened before;
nothing is new,
nothing under the sun.
10 Someone might say,
“Here is something new!”
But it happened before,
long before we were born.
11 No one who lived in the past
is remembered anymore,
and everyone yet to be born
will be forgotten too.
It Is Senseless To Be Wise
12 I said these things when I lived in Jerusalem as king of Israel. 13 With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do. 14 I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind.
15 If something is crooked,
it can't be made straight;
if something isn't there,
it can't be counted.
16 I said to myself, “You are by far the wisest person who has ever lived in Jerusalem. You are eager to learn, and you have learned a lot.” 17 Then I decided to find out all I could about wisdom and foolishness. Soon I realized that this too was as senseless as chasing the wind.
18 The more you know,
the more you hurt;
the more you understand,
the more you suffer.
1 The wordes of the Preacher, the sonne of Dauid King in Ierusalem. 2 Vanitie of vanities, sayth the Preacher: vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie. 3 What remaineth vnto man in all his trauaile, which he suffereth vnder ye sunne? 4 One generation passeth, and another generation succeedeth: but the earth remaineth for euer. 5 The sunne riseth, and ye sunne goeth downe, and draweth to his place, where he riseth. 6 The winde goeth toward the South, and compasseth towarde the North: the winde goeth rounde about, and returneth by his circuites. 7 All the riuers goe into the sea, yet the sea is not full: for the riuers goe vnto ye place, whence they returne, and goe. 8 All things are full of labour: man cannot vtter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare filled with hearing. 9 What is it that hath bene? that that shalbe: and what is it that hath bene done? that which shalbe done: and there is no newe thing vnder the sunne. 10 Is there any thing, whereof one may say, Beholde this, it is newe? it hath bene already in the olde time that was before vs. 11 There is no memorie of the former, neither shall there be a remembrance of the latter that shalbe, with them that shall come after. 12 I the Preacher haue bene King ouer Israel in Ierusalem: 13 And I haue giuen mine heart to search and finde out wisdome by all things that are done vnder the heauen: (this sore trauaile hath GOD giuen to the sonnes of men, to humble them thereby) 14 I haue considered all the workes that are done vnder the sunne, and beholde, all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit. 15 That which is crooked, can none make straight: and that which faileth, cannot be nombred. 16 I thought in mine heart, and said, Behold, I am become great, and excell in wisdome all them that haue bene before me in Ierusalem: and mine heart hath seene much wisedome and knowledge. 17 And I gaue mine heart to knowe wisdome and knowledge, madnes and foolishnes: I knew also that this is a vexation of the spirit. 18 For in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorowe.