Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
New International Version NIV
12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.
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I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
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I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
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What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge."
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I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.
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Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.
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For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.