Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 1"

Ecclesiastes 1

New International Reader's Version NIRV

1 These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also king in Jerusalem.

2 "Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is completely meaningless! Nothing has any meaning."

3 What does a man get for all of his work? Why does he work so hard on this earth?

4 People come and people go. But the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises. Then it sets. And then it hurries back to where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south. Then it turns to the north. Around and around it goes. It always returns to where it started.

7 Every stream flows into the ocean. But the ocean never gets full. The streams return to the place they came from.

8 All things are tiresome. They are more tiresome than anyone can say. But our eyes never see enough of anything. Our ears never hear enough.

9 Everything that has ever been will come back again. Everything that has ever been done will be done again. Nothing is new on earth.

10 There isn't anything about which someone can say, "Look! Here's something new." It was already here long ago. It was here before we were.

11 No one remembers the men of long ago. Even those who haven't been born yet won't be remembered by those who will be born after them.

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

13 I spent all of my time studying. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on men!

14 I've seen what is done on this earth. It doesn't have any meaning. It's like chasing the wind.

15 People can't straighten things that are twisted. They can't count things that don't even exist.

16 I said to myself, "Look, my wisdom has really been growing. In fact, I'm now wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge."

17 Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that that's also like chasing the wind.

18 A lot of human wisdom leads to a lot of sorrow. More knowledge only brings more sadness.

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.