GodsWord - Ecclesiastes - 1

1:1  The words of the spokesman, the son of David and the king in Jerusalem.

1:2  "Absolutely pointless!" says the spokesman. "Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless."

1:3  What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun?

1:4  Generations come, and generations go, but the earth lasts forever.

1:5  The sun rises, and the sun sets, and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise again.

1:6  The wind blows toward the south and shifts toward the north. Round and round it blows. It blows in a full circle.

1:7  All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The water goes back to the place where the streams began in order to start flowing again.

1:8  All of these sayings are worn-out phrases. They are more than anyone can express, comprehend, or understand.

1:9  Whatever has happened before will happen again. Whatever has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun.

1:10  Can you say that anything is new? It has already been here long before us.

1:11  Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us.

1:12  I, the spokesman, have been king of Israel in Jerusalem.

1:13  With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven. Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that God has placed on them.

1:14  I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It's all pointless. It's like trying to catch the wind.

1:15  No one can straighten what is bent. No one can count what is not there.

1:16  I thought to myself, "I have grown wiser than anyone who has ruled Jerusalem before me. I've had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge."

1:17  I've used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. Now I know that this is like trying to catch the wind.

1:18  With a lot of wisdom comes a lot of heartache. The greater your knowledge, the greater your pain.