[1] The words of the spokesman, the son of David and the king in Jerusalem. [2] "Absolutely pointless!" says the spokesman. "Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless." [3] What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun? [4] Generations come, and generations go, but the earth lasts forever. [5] The sun rises, and the sun sets, and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise again. [6] The wind blows toward the south and shifts toward the north. Round and round it blows. It blows in a full circle. [7] All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The water goes back to the place where the streams began in order to start flowing again. [8] All of these sayings are worn-out phrases. They are more than anyone can express, comprehend, or understand. [9] Whatever has happened before will happen again. Whatever has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. [10] Can you say that anything is new? It has already been here long before us. [11] Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us. [12] I, the spokesman, have been king of Israel in Jerusalem. [13] With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven. Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that God has placed on them. [14] I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It's all pointless. It's like trying to catch the wind. [15] No one can straighten what is bent. No one can count what is not there. [16] I thought to myself, "I have grown wiser than anyone who has ruled Jerusalem before me. I've had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge." [17] I've used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. Now I know that this is like trying to catch the wind. [18] With a lot of wisdom comes a lot of heartache. The greater your knowledge, the greater your pain.
