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 Elohim 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.
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