Ecclesiastes 1
1
The Futility of All Endeavors
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2“Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher,
“Futility of futilities! All is futility.”
3¶What advantage does a person have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth #1:4 Lit standsremains forever.
5Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And #1:5 Lit pantinghurrying to its place it rises there again.
6 # 1:6 Lit Going Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues #1:6 Lit turningswirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7All the rivers #1:7 Lit goflow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers #1:7 Lit goflow,
There they #1:7 Lit goflow again.
8All things are wearisome;
No one can tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been, it is what will be,
And what has been done, it is what will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which one might say,
“See this, it is new”?
It has already existed for ages
Which were before us.
11There is no remembrance of the #1:11 Lit first; or formerearlier things,
And of the later things as well, which will occur,
There will be no remembrance of them
Among those who will come later still.
The Futility of Wisdom
12I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I set my #1:13 Lit heartmind to seek and explore by wisdom about everything that has been done under heaven. It is a #1:13 Lit evilsorry task with which God has given the sons of mankind to be troubled. 14I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is futility and striving after wind. 15What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I #1:16 Lit spoke with my heart, sayingsaid to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my #1:16 Lit heartmind has observed #1:16 Lit an abundancea wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I applied my #1:17 Lit heartmind to know wisdom and to know insanity and foolishness; I realized that this also is striving after wind. 18Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
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Ecclesiastes 1: NASB2020
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