Ecclesiastes Chapter 1

Conversational Yahveh Covenant

¹ The Words of the Preacher, Ben-David, King in Jerusalem

² “Completely pointless,” the Preacher says;

      “Completely pointless! It’s all pointless.”

³ What do people get out of their work under the sun?

⁴ One generation passes away and another comes along,

      but the earth just goes on and on.

⁵ The sun comes up, the sun goes down,

      and hurries back to where it comes up again.

⁶ The wind blows south, the wind blows north;

      it just keeps circulating around and around.

Eccl 1:1-6

⁷ The rivers flow to the ocean; yet the ocean doesn’t run over;

      they flow again to where they flowed before.

⁸ Everything is too tiresome to talk about;

      eyes aren’t satisfied by seeing;

      ears aren’t fulfilled by hearing.

⁹ What has been is what will be;

      what’s been done is what’ll be done;

      there’s nothing new under the sun.

¹⁰ Is there anything you can say,

      “Look, that’s new”?

 ¹¹People don’t remember the past;

            later, they won’t remember the future either.

The ones that come after you won’t remember you.        Eccl 1:7-11

¹² I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I decided to examine with wisdom everything people do under the sky. It’s a grievous job God has stricken them with. ¹⁴ I’ve looked at everything they do under the sun. It’s all pointless, like chasing the wind.

¹⁵ What’s crooked you can’t straighten;

what’s missing you can’t get back.

¹⁶ I said to myself,

                  “I’m wiser than anybody that’s ruled Jerusalem before;

                  I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge.”

¹⁷ I determined to experience everything from wisdom to madness and pointless behavior. I came to realize that it’s all like chasing the wind.

                           ¹⁸There’s much grief in much wisdom;

                  increasing knowledge increases pain.                                                           

Eccl 1:12-18