Ecclesiastes · Bible in Basic English
Ecclesiastes 1 Bible in Basic English
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 All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.
2 Vanidad de vanidades, dijo el Predicador; vanidad de vanidades, todo vanidad.
3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?
3 ¿Qué provecho tiene el hombre de todo su trabajo con que se afana debajo del sol?
4 One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.
4 Generación va, y generación viene: mas la tierra siempre permanece.
5 The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.
5 Y sale el sol, y pónese el sol, y con deseo vuelve á su lugar donde torna á nacer.
6 The wind goes to the south, turning back again to the north; circling round for ever.
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 go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there 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 may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its 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 has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will 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 anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was 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 memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.
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 gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.
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 which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for 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 bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.
15 Lo torcido no se puede enderezar; y lo falto no puede contarse.
16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem — yes, my heart has seen much 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 gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for 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 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of 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)