Ecclesiastes 1:1-10 ▼

1 These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?

4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.

6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.

7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.

8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.