Ecclesiastes
1 The words of the congregator,*+ the son of David, the king in Jerusalem.+
3 What does a person gain from all his hard work
At which he toils under the sun?+
6 The wind goes south and circles around to the north;
Round and round it continuously circles; the wind keeps making its rounds.
7 All the streams* flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full.+
To the place from which the streams flow, there they return so as to flow again.+
8 All things are wearisome;
No one can even speak of it.
The eye is not satisfied at seeing;
Nor is the ear filled from hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
And what has been done will be done again;
There is nothing new under the sun.+
10 Is there anything of which one may say, “Look at this—it is new”?
It already existed from long ago;
It already existed before our time.
11 No one remembers people of former times;
Nor will anyone remember those who come later;
Nor will they be remembered by those who come still later.+
12 I, the congregator, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.+ 13 I set my heart to study and explore with wisdom+ everything that has been done under the heavens+—the miserable occupation that God has given to the sons of men that keeps them occupied.
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun,
And look! everything was futile, a chasing after the wind.+
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot possibly be counted.
16 Then I said in my heart: “Look! I have acquired great wisdom, more than anyone who was before me in Jerusalem,+ and my heart gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.”+ 17 I applied my heart to knowing wisdom and to knowing madness* and to knowing folly,+ and this too is a chasing after the wind.
18 For an abundance of wisdom brings an abundance of frustration,
So that whoever increases knowledge increases pain.+