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Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 (NIV)

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¹ The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: ² "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." ³ What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? ⁴ Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. ⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. ⁶ The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. ⁷ All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. ⁸ All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. ⁹ What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. ¹¹ There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. ¹² I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! ¹⁴ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁵ What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. ¹⁶ I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.


This passage relates to the following topic(s):
(v. 18) Word of God / Teaching / Knowledge - The more knowledge, the more grief
(v. 18) Wisdom / Understanding / Stupidity - With much wisdom comes much sorrow

This passage relates to the following question(s):
(v. 4) Will the earth be destroyed or not?
(v. 17) Is wisdom a source of grief and sorrow or enjoyment? With much wisdom comes much sorrow

Definition(s):
Israel (Iz-rehl): who prevails with God
Israel (Is-ra-el): who prevails with God
Jerusalem (Je-roo-sa-lem): vision of peace