The words of the preacher, David’s son, who was king in Jerusalem.
Empty nothing, it is all empty nothing.
What good can man do under the sun? What good is all the work that he
does?
People pass away from the world and more people come into the world. But the world will always be
here.
The sun comes up on one side of the day, and hurries across the sky to the other side and then
goes back around again.
The wind goes to the south and then turns back to the north twirling around and
around.
All the rivers run down to the sea but the sea doesn’t get filled up.
but the sea doesn’t get filled up.
All things are full of work; man can’t count it all.
Our eyes always want to see more and our ears always want to hear more.
Things that are coming have already been before and everything that happens tomorrow has already
happened before.
Nothing new happens under the sun.
We don’t remember stuff that has already happened for very long.
I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I tried with all my heart to find out the best thing for my people to do with their life under heaven.
It is a hard thing God has done here in the world to get men’s hearts not to be puffed up about
themselves.
All the stuff we do is empty and doesn’t last; it troubles our spirit.
Too many things need to be straightened out and too many things aren’t good
enough.
I said to my heart, Look how great my life is, I am the highest person in the land and live in
the biggest house.
I know more than anyone who was king before me.
My heart was full of wise things to know.
I set my heart to know all the wise things and to know what is silly and found out that it is all upsetting. Because if you
know a lot it makes you sad.