Ecclesiastes · American Standard Version (1901)
Ecclesiastes 1 American Standard Version (1901)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
1 PALABRAS del Predicador, hijo de David, rey en Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
2 Vanidad de vanidades, dijo el Predicador; vanidad de vanidades, todo vanidad.
3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?
3 ¿Qué provecho tiene el hombre de todo su trabajo con que se afana debajo del sol?
4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.
4 Generación va, y generación viene: mas la tierra siempre permanece.
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
5 Y sale el sol, y pónese el sol, y con deseo vuelve á su lugar donde torna á nacer.
6 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.
6 El viento tira hacia el mediodía, y rodea al norte; va girando de continuo, y á sus giros torna el viento de nuevo.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
7 Los ríos todos van á la mar, y la mar no se hinche; al lugar de donde los ríos vinieron, allí tornan para correr de nuevo.
8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
8 Todas las cosas andan en trabajo [más] que el hombre pueda decir: ni los ojos viendo se hartan de ver, ni los oídos se hinchen de oir.
9 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.
9 ¿Qué es lo que fué? Lo mismo que será. ¿Qué es lo que ha sido hecho? Lo mismo que se hará: y nada hay nuevo debajo del sol.
10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
10 ¿Hay algo de que se pueda decir: He aquí esto es nuevo? Ya fué en los siglos que nos han precedido.
11 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.
11 No hay memoria de lo que precedió, ni tampoco de lo que sucederá habrá memoria en los que serán después.
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12 Yo el Predicador fuí rey sobre Israel en Jerusalem.
13 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.
13 Y dí mi corazón á inquirir y buscar con sabiduría sobre todo lo que se hace debajo del cielo: este penoso trabajo dió Dios á los hijos de los hombres, en que se ocupen.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
14 Yo miré todas las obras que se hacen debajo del sol; y he aquí, todo ello es vanidad y aflicción de espíritu.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
15 Lo torcido no se puede enderezar; y lo falto no puede contarse.
16 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.
16 Hablé yo con mi corazón, diciendo: He aquí hállome yo engrandecido, y he crecido en sabiduría sobre todos los que fueron antes de mí en Jerusalem; y mi corazón ha percibido muchedumbre de sabiduría y ciencia.
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.
17 Y dí mi corazón á conocer la sabiduría, y también á entender las locuras y los desvaríos: conocí que aun esto era aflicción de espíritu.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
18 Porque en la mucha sabiduría hay mucha molestia; y quien añade ciencia, añade dolor.
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Ecclesiastes 12:8–10; Ecclesiastes 1:12; Ecclesiastes 7:27; 1 Kings 11:42–43; 2 Peter 2:5
- 2 Psalm 144:4; Romans 8:20; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Psalm 39:5–6; Ecclesiastes 12:8
- 3 Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 5:16; Ecclesiastes 2:22; Mark 8:36–37; Ecclesiastes 2:11
- 4 Psalm 104:5; Zechariah 1:5; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Matthew 24:35; Psalm 119:90–91
- 5 Psalm 42:1; Habakkuk 3:11; Psalm 19:4–6; Psalm 104:19–23; Joshua 10:13–14
- 6 John 3:8; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Job 37:9; Psalm 107:29; Job 37:17
- 7 Job 38:10–11
- 8 Proverbs 27:20; Matthew 11:28; Ecclesiastes 4:8; Ecclesiastes 5:10–11; Psalm 63:5
- 9 Ecclesiastes 3:15; Ecclesiastes 6:10; Revelation 21:1; Ecclesiastes 2:12; Ecclesiastes 7:10
- 10 Acts 7:51; Matthew 23:30–32; Luke 17:26–30; Matthew 5:12; 2 Timothy 3:8
- 11 Ecclesiastes 2:16; Psalm 9:6; Ecclesiastes 9:5; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 41:22–26
- 12 Ecclesiastes 1:1; 1 Kings 4:1–19
- 13 Ecclesiastes 3:10; Genesis 3:19; 1 Timothy 4:15; Ecclesiastes 8:16–17; Ecclesiastes 1:17
- 14 Ecclesiastes 2:11; Ecclesiastes 2:17; Ecclesiastes 2:26; Ecclesiastes 6:9; Ecclesiastes 1:17–18
- 15 Ecclesiastes 7:12–13; Matthew 6:27; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Isaiah 40:4; Lamentations 3:37
- 16 Ecclesiastes 2:9; 1 Kings 4:30; 1 Kings 10:7; 1 Kings 3:12–13; Hebrews 5:14
- 17 Ecclesiastes 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Ecclesiastes 7:23–25; Ecclesiastes 2:10–12; Ecclesiastes 1:13–14
- 18 Job 28:28; Ecclesiastes 12:12–13; 1 Corinthians 3:18–20; Ecclesiastes 7:16; James 3:13–17
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Do I not weep much the more?" For, "He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow." The more I long for what is not here, do I not so much the more groan for it until it comes?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
But thou canst not; for, "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Let us go to the tombs; show me thy father; show me thy wife.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)