Ecclesiastes 1:1 – 11 NLT
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. 11 We don’t
remember what happened in the past, and in future
generations, no one will remember what we are doing
now.
13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final
conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is
everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we
do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
