Ecclesiastes 1–2

Everything is Futile

1The words of the Teacher, ^abson of David, king in Jerusalem. ^c

²“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.

“Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” ^d

³What does a man gain for all his efforts

that he labors at under the sun? ^e

⁴A generation goes and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever. ^f

⁵The sun rises and the sun sets;

panting, it returns to its place ^g

where it rises.

⁶Gusting to the south,

turning to the north,

turning, turning, goes the wind, ^h

and the wind returns in its cycles.

⁷All the streams flow to the sea,

yet the sea is never full.

The streams are flowing to the place,

and they flow there again.

⁸All things ⁱare wearisome;

man is unable to speak.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing ^j

or the ear filled with hearing.

⁹What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done;

there is nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰Can one say about anything,

“Look, this is new”?

It has already existed in the ages before us.

¹¹There is no remembrance of those who ^kcame before; ^l

and of those who ^mwill come after

there will also be no remembrance

by those who follow them.

The Limitations of Wisdom

¹²I, the Teacher, ⁿhave been ^oking over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³I applied my mind to seek ^pand explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. ^qGod has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. ^r14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. ^st

¹⁵What is crooked cannot be straightened; ^u

what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I said to myself, ^v“Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, ^wand my mind has thoroughly grasped ^xwisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, ^ymadness and folly; ^zI learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. ^ab

¹⁸For with much wisdom is much sorrow; ^c

as knowledge increases, grief increases.

The Emptiness of Pleasure

2I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; ^denjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. ²I said about laughter, ^e“It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” ³I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life ^fwith wine ^gand how to grasp folly ^h—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven ⁱduring the few days of their lives. ^j

The Emptiness of Possessions

⁴I increased my achievements. I built houses ^kand planted vineyards ^lfor myself. ⁵I made gardens ^mand parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. ⁶I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. ⁿ⁷I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. ^oI also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. ^p8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. ^qI gathered male and female singers for myself, ^rand many concubines, the delights of men. ^st9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; ^umy wisdom also remained with me. ¹⁰All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. ^vI did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. ^w11When I considered all that I had accomplished ^xand what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^yThere was nothing to be gained under the sun. ^z

The Relative Value of Wisdom

¹²Then I turned to consider wisdom, ^amadness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He ^bwill do what has already been done. ^c13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. ^d

¹⁴The wise man has eyes in his head,

but the fool walks in darkness. ^e

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. ^f15So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” ^gAnd I said to myself that this is also futile. ¹⁶For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, ^hsince in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? ¹⁷Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The Emptiness of Work

¹⁸I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun ⁱbecause I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ^j19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? ^kYet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. ²⁰So I began to give myself over ^lto despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. ²¹When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, ^mand he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. ²²For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts ⁿthat he labors at under the sun? ²³For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; ^oeven at night, his mind does not rest. ^pThis too is futile.

²⁴There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy ^qrhis work. ^sI have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ^t25because who can eat and who can enjoy life ^uapart from Him? ^v26For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, ^wbut to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. ^xThis too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^y