Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes%201"

Ecclesiastes 1

Common English Bible CEB

1 The words of the Teacher of the Assembly, David's son, king in Jerusalem:

2 Perfectly pointless, says the Teacher, perfectly pointless. Everything is pointless.

3 What do people gain from all the hard work that they work so hard at under the sun?

4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains as it always has.

5 The sun rises, the sun sets; it returns panting to the place where it dawns.

6 The wind blows to the south, goes around to the north; around and around blows the wind; the wind returns to its rounds again.

7 All streams flow to the sea, but the sea is never full; to the place where the rivers flow, there they continue to flow.

8 All words are tiring; no one is able to speak. The eye isn't satisfied with seeing, neither is the ear filled up by hearing.

9 Whatever has happened—that's what will happen again; whatever has occurred—that's what will occur again. There's nothing new under the sun.

10 People may say about something: "Look at this! It's new!" But it was already around for ages before us.

11 There's no remembrance of things in the past, nor of things to come in the future. Neither will there be any remembrance among those who come along in the future.

12 I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It's an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.

14 When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.

15 What's crooked can't be straightened; what isn't there can't be counted.

16 I said to myself, Look here, I have grown much wiser than any who ruled over Jerusalem before me. My mind has absorbed great wisdom and knowledge.

17 But when I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also to understand madness and folly, I realized that this too was just wind chasing.

18 Remember: In much wisdom is much aggravation; the more knowledge, the more pain.

New International Version NIV

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?

4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 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; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 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 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 comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.