1
These are the words of the Teacher, 1 King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
2
“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”
3
What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
4
Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
5
The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.
6
The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.
7
Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.
8
Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
9
History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
10
Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.
11
We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.