Everything Is Meaningless
1These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also the king in Jerusalem.
2“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Everything is completely meaningless!
Nothing has any meaning.”
3What do people get for all their work?
Why do they work so hard on this earth?
4People come and people go.
But the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises. Then it sets.
And then it hurries back to where it rises.
6The wind blows to the south.
Then it turns to the north.
Around and around it goes.
It always returns to where it started.
7Every stream flows into the ocean.
But the ocean never gets full.
The streams return
to the place they came from.
8All things are tiresome.
They are more tiresome than anyone can say.
But our eyes never see enough of anything.
Our ears never hear enough.
9Everything that has ever been will come back again.
Everything that has ever been done will be done again.
Nothing is new on earth.
10There isn’t anything about which someone can say,
“Look! Here’s something new.”
It was already here long ago.
It was here before we were.
11No one remembers the people of long ago.
Even those who haven’t been born yet
won’t be remembered
by those who will be born after them.
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13I decided to study things carefully. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on human beings! 14I’ve seen what is done on this earth. All of it is meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.
15People can’t straighten things that are crooked.
They can’t count things that don’t even exist.
16I said to myself, “Look, I’ve now grown wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge.” 17Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.
18A lot of human wisdom leads to a lot of sorrow.
More knowledge only brings more sadness.
Wala sing Pulos ang Tanan
1Amo ini ang mga ginsiling sang isa ka manugwali1:1 manugwali: ukon, manunudlo; ukon, maalamon nga tawo. nga anak ni David kag hari sang Jerusalem:
2Wala sing pulos! Wala gid sing pulos ang tanan! 3Ano bala ang makuha sang tawo sa iya pagpangabudlay diri sa kalibutan? 4Nagataliwan ang isa ka henerasyon kag nagabulos naman ang isa, pero ang kalibutan amo lang gihapon. 5Nagabutlak ang adlaw, kag dayon nagasalop; nagabalik-balik lang ini sa iya ginahalinan. 6Nagahuyop ang hangin sa bagatnan kag dayon sa aminhan; nagalibot-libot lang ini kag nagabalik-balik. 7Ang tanan nga suba nagailig sa dagat, pero wala ini nagakapuno bisan sige-sige ang ilig sang suba.1:7 bisan sige-sige ang ilig sang suba: ukon, dayon nagabalik ang tubig sa iya ginahalinan kag nagailig ini liwat sa dagat. 8Ina tanan nga butang makatalaka—ang pagkatalaka nga indi masaysay. Wala nagakaayawan ang aton mga mata kag mga dulunggan sa aton makita kag mabatian. 9Ang mga natabo sang una matabo man liwat. Ang mga ginhimo sang una himuon man liwat. Wala gid sing bag-o nga nagakatabo sa kalibutan. 10May butang bala nga masiling mo nga bag-o naman? Pero ara na ina sang una pa, bisan sang wala pa kita matawo. 11Wala ginadumdom sang mga tawo ang mga nagligad; amo man ang palaabuton, indi man ini pagdumdumon sang mga tawo sa ulihi.
Ang Kaalam sang Tawo Wala sing Pulos
12Ako nga isa ka manugwali naghari sa Israel, kag sa Jerusalem ako nag-estar. 13Sa akon kaalam, gintun-an ko gid sing maayo ang tanan nga nagakalatabo diri sa kalibutan. Isa ini ka makatalaka nga buluhaton nga ginhatag sang Dios nga kabalak-an sang tawo. 14Nakita ko ang tanan nga ginahimo diri sa kalibutan, kag ini tanan wala sing pulos; daw pareho lang nga nagalagas ako sa hangin. 15Ang tiko indi mo mapatadlong, kag ang wala indi mo maisip.
16Nagsiling ako sa akon kaugalingon, “Mas maalam gid ako sang sa tanan nga naghari sa Jerusalem antes sa akon. Madamo gid ako sang nahibaluan.” 17Gintun-an ko sing maayo ang kinalain sang kaalam kag kabuangan, pero nareyalisar ko nga ini wala man sing pulos; daw pareho lang nga nagalagas ako sa hangin. 18Kay sang nagdugang ang akon nahibaluan, nagdugang man ang kalain sang akon buot.
