Ecclesiastes 1:2

Easy To Read Version

Everything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time! {\cf2\super [1]}

Cross References

Job 11:12

A wild donkey can’t give birth\par to a man.\par And a stupid person will never\par become wise.\par

Psalm 144:4

A person’s life is like a puff of air.\par A person’s life is like a passing shadow.\par

Psalm 89:47

Remember how short my life is:\par You created us to live a short life,\par and then die.\par

Ecclesiastes 11:10

Don’t let your anger control you. And don’t let your body lead you to sin. {\cf2\super [43]} People do foolish things in the dawn of life while they are young.

Ecclesiastes 11:8

You should enjoy every day of your life, no matter how long you live! But remember that you will die. And you will be dead much longer than you were alive! And after you are dead, you can’t do anything!

Ecclesiastes 12:8

Everything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time! {\cf2\super [47]}

Ecclesiastes 2:11

But then I looked at all the things I had done. I thought about all the hard work I did. I decided it was all a waste of time! It was like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [8]} There is nothing to gain from all the things we do in this life.

Ecclesiastes 2:15

I thought to myself, “The same thing that happens to a foolish person will also happen to me. So why have I tried so hard to become wise?” I said to myself, “Being wise is also useless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17

This made me hate life. It made me very sad to think that everything in this life {\cf2\super [10]} is useless, like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [11]}

Ecclesiastes 2:19

Some other person will control everything I worked and studied for. And I don’t know if that person will be wise or foolish. This is also senseless.

Ecclesiastes 2:21

A person can work hard using all his wisdom and knowledge and skill. But that person will die and other people will get the things he worked for. Those people did not do the work, but they will get everything. That makes me very sad. That is also not fair and is senseless.

Ecclesiastes 2:23

All his life he has pain, frustrations, and hard work. Even at night, a person’s mind does not rest. This is also senseless.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

If a person does good and pleases God, then God will give that person wisdom, knowledge, and joy. But a person that sins will get only the work of gathering and carrying things. God takes from the bad person and gives to the good person. But all this work is useless. It is like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [14]}

Ecclesiastes 2:8

I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and their nations. I had men and women singing for me. I had everything anyone could want.

Ecclesiastes 3:19

Is a man better than an animal? \{No!\} Why? Because everything is useless. The same thing happens to animals and to people—they die. People and animals have the same “breath.” {\cf2\super [19]} Is a dead animal different from a dead person?

Ecclesiastes 4:16

Many, many people will follow this young man. But later, those same people will not like him. This is also senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [22]}

Ecclesiastes 4:4

Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. Why? Because people are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [21]}

Ecclesiastes 4:8

A person might not have any family. He might not have a son or even a brother. But that person will continue to work very, very hard. That person is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard that he never stops and asks himself, “Why am I working so hard? Why don’t I let myself enjoy my life?” This is also a very bad and senseless thing.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

The person that loves money will never be satisfied with the money he has. The person that loves wealth will not be satisfied when he gets more and more. This is also senseless.

Romans 8:20

Everything God made was changed to be like it was worth nothing. It did not want to change, but God decided to change it. But there was this hope: