Ecclesiastes 12:8

New International Reader's Version

“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Nothing has any meaning.”

Cross References

Psalm 62:9

Surely ordinary people are only a breath. Important people are not what they seem to be. If they were weighed on a scale, they wouldn’t amount to anything. Together they are only a breath.

Ecclesiastes 1:1

These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also the king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1:12

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I’ve seen what is done on this earth. All of it is meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:17

Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:2

“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is completely meaningless! Nothing has any meaning.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17

So I hated life. That’s because the work done on this earth made me sad. None of it has any meaning. It’s like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:4

I also saw that a person works hard and accomplishes a lot. But they do it only because they want what another person has. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:12

Who knows what’s good for a person? They live for only a few meaningless days. They pass through life like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen on earth after they are gone?

Ecclesiastes 8:8

No one can stop the wind from blowing. And no one has the power to decide when they will die. No one is let out of the army in times of war. And evil won’t let go of those who practice it.