Ecclesiastes 1 (NET)

Ecclesiastes 1:1¹The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 12:8-10Eccl 1:12Eccl 7:271 Kgs 11:42-432 Chr 10:17-192 Chr 9:302 Pet 2:5Isa 61:1Neh 6:7Ps 40:9

Ecclesiastes 1:2²“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher. “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ps 144:4Rom 8:20Eccl 5:10Ps 39:5-6Eccl 12:8Eccl 2:26Eccl 2:11Eccl 2:17Eccl 2:19Eccl 2:23

Ecclesiastes 1:3³What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 3:9Eccl 2:22Eccl 5:16Eccl 2:11Mark 8:36-37John 6:27Prov 23:4-5Eccl 2:19Isa 55:2Matt 16:26

Ecclesiastes 1:4⁴A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Ps 104:5Eccl 6:12Zech 1:5Matt 24:35Ps 119:90-912 Pet 3:10-13Ps 102:24-28Ps 89:47-48Gen 5:3-31Ps 90:9-10

Ecclesiastes 1:5⁵The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Hab 3:11Ps 19:4-6Ps 42:1Gen 8:22Josh 10:13-14Ps 104:19-23Ps 89:36-37

Ecclesiastes 1:6⁶The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round the wind goes and on its rounds it returns.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:John 3:8Eccl 11:5Job 37:17Job 37:9Ps 107:25Ps 107:29

Ecclesiastes 1:7⁷All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Job 38:10-11

Ecclesiastes 1:8⁸All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it. The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Prov 27:20Matt 11:28Eccl 4:8Eccl 2:11Eccl 2:26Eccl 4:1-4Eccl 5:10-11Eccl 7:24-26Matt 5:6Prov 30:15-16

Ecclesiastes 1:9⁹What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 3:15Eccl 6:10Rev 21:1Eccl 2:12Eccl 7:10Isa 43:19Jer 31:222 Pet 2:1Rev 21:5

Ecclesiastes 1:10¹⁰Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new”? It was already done long ago, before our time.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Acts 7:51Luke 17:26-30Matt 23:30-32Matt 5:122 Tim 3:8

Ecclesiastes 1:11¹¹No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 2:16Ps 9:6Eccl 9:5Isa 42:9Isa 41:22-26

Ecclesiastes 1:12¹²I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 1:11 Kgs 4:1-19

Ecclesiastes 1:13¹³I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 3:10Gen 3:191 Tim 4:15Eccl 8:16-17Eccl 1:17Eccl 12:12Eccl 7:25Eccl 2:23Eccl 2:26Eccl 4:4

Ecclesiastes 1:14¹⁴I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile —like chasing the wind!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 2:11Eccl 2:17Eccl 2:26Eccl 6:9Eccl 1:17-18Eccl 4:4Ps 39:5-61 Kgs 4:30-32

Ecclesiastes 1:15¹⁵What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 7:12-13Matt 6:27Eccl 3:14Isa 40:4Job 11:6Job 34:29Lam 3:37Dan 4:35

Ecclesiastes 1:16¹⁶I thought to myself, “I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 2:91 Kgs 4:301 Kgs 10:71 Kgs 3:12-132 Chr 1:10-122 Chr 2:12Heb 5:14Ps 4:41 Kgs 10:23-242 Chr 9:22-23

Ecclesiastes 1:17¹⁷So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Eccl 2:31 Thess 5:21Eccl 1:13-14Eccl 2:10-12Eccl 7:23-25

Ecclesiastes 1:18¹⁸For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible VersionsAsk AICross Refs:Job 28:28Eccl 12:12-131 Cor 3:18-20Eccl 7:16Eccl 2:23Jas 3:13-17Eccl 2:15