[1] The words of the Teacher of the Assembly, David’s son, king in Jerusalem: [2] Perfectly pointless, says the Teacher, perfectly pointless. Everything is pointless. [3] What do people gain from all the hard work that they work so hard at under the sun? [4] A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains as it always has. [5] The sun rises, the sun sets; it returns panting to the place where it dawns. [6] The wind blows to the south, goes around to the north; around and around blows the wind; the wind returns to its rounds again. [7] All streams flow to the sea, but the sea is never full; to the place where the rivers flow, there they continue to flow. [8] All words are tiring; no one is able to speak. The eye isn’t satisfied with seeing, neither is the ear filled up by hearing. [9] Whatever has happened—that’s what will happen again; whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again. There’s nothing new under the sun. [10] People may say about something: “Look at this! It’s new!” But it was already around for ages before us. [11] There’s no remembrance of things in the past, nor of things to come in the future. Neither will there be any remembrance among those who come along in the future. [12] I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem. [13] I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings. [14] When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind. [15] What’s crooked can’t be straightened; what isn’t there can’t be counted. [16] I said to myself, Look here, I have grown much wiser than any who ruled over Jerusalem before me. My mind has absorbed great wisdom and knowledge. [17] But when I set my mind to understand wisdom, and also to understand madness and folly, I realized that this too was just wind chasing. [18] Remember: In much wisdom is much aggravation; the more knowledge, the more pain.
