Ecclesiastes
Chapter 1 of 12
1The words of Solomon the Preacher, son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem. 2"Meaningless, meaningless," says the Preacher. "Everything is meaningless." 3What does a person gain from all the toil he labors at under the sun? 4One generation goes and another comes, but the earth stands forever. 5The sun rises and the sun sets, and it returns to its place. Rising there, it goes back around to the south and circles toward the north. 6Round and round the wind goes, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7All the streams run into the sea, yet the sea never fills its place. 8And when the rivers have gone there, they turn back again to go once more. 9Every word is wearisome, and no one can tell it all. The eye is never satisfied with seeing, and the ear is never filled with hearing. 10What is it that has been done? The same as what was done before. What is it that will be? The same as what has been. Nothing is done under the sun that has not been done already. 11If someone speaks up and says, "Look, this is new," it already happened in the ages that were before us. 12There is no memory of those who came first, and none of those who come later among the ones who will come after them. 13I, the Preacher, was king of Israel in Jerusalem. 14I set my heart to seek and to examine by wisdom everything that is done under the sun. It is a hard task God has given to human beings to keep them busy. 15I have seen every work that is done under the sun, and look, all of it is meaningless and a chasing after the wind. 16What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is missing cannot be counted. 17I said to myself, "Look, I have grown great and gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has seen a great deal of wisdom and knowledge." 18I set my heart to know wisdom and knowledge, proverbs and instruction, and I came to see that this too is meaningless and a chasing after the wind. 19For with much wisdom comes much grief, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain. ‹
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Ecclesiastes · Chapter 1 of 12