Ecclesiastes 1:1-18, NLT
Ecclesiastes 1
1These are the words of the Teacher,*1:1 Hebrew Qoheleth; this term is rendered “the Teacher” throughout this book. King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
Everything Is Meaningless
2“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”
3What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
9History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom
12I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.
15What is wrong cannot be made right.
What is missing cannot be recovered.
16I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”
18The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.
To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.