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Ecclesiastes 1:2
New Living Translation

Everything Is Meaningless

2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

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Listen to Ecclesiastes 1:2, Romans 8:20, Psalm 144:4, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Ecclesiastes 12:8, Psalm 39:5-6, Ecclesiastes 2:26, Ecclesiastes 2:19, Ecclesiastes 2:11, Ecclesiastes 2:23, Ecclesiastes 2:17, Ecclesiastes 11:8, Ecclesiastes 6:11
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Ecclesiastes 1:2
New International Version

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”(A)

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Proverbs 31
Ecclesiastes 2
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Romans 8:20
New Living Translation

20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,

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Romans 8:20
New International Version

20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,(A) in hope

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Romans 7
Romans 9
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Psalm 144:4
New Living Translation

4 For they are like a breath of air;
    their days are like a passing shadow.

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Psalm 144:4
New International Version

4 They are like a breath;(A)
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.(B)

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Psalm 143
Psalm 145
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Ecclesiastes 5:10
New Living Translation

10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

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Ecclesiastes 5:10
New International Version

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 4
Ecclesiastes 6
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Ecclesiastes 12:8
New Living Translation

Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher

8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”

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Ecclesiastes 12:8
New International Version

8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.[a](A)
    “Everything is meaningless!(B)”

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10
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Ecclesiastes 11
Song of Solomon 1
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Psalm 39:5-6
New Living Translation

5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

6 We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.

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Psalm 39:5-6
New International Version

5 You have made my days(A) a mere handbreadth;
    the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,(B)
    even those who seem secure.[a]

6 “Surely everyone goes around(C) like a mere phantom;(D)
    in vain they rush about,(E) heaping up wealth(F)
    without knowing whose it will finally be.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 39:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 11.
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Psalm 38
Psalm 40
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Ecclesiastes 2:26
New Living Translation

26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

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Ecclesiastes 2:26
New International Version

26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(A) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(B) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(C) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
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Ecclesiastes 2:19
New Living Translation

19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless!

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Ecclesiastes 2:19
New International Version

19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(A) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
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Ecclesiastes 2:11
New Living Translation

11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

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Ecclesiastes 2:11
New International Version

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(A)
    nothing was gained under the sun.(B)

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Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
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Ecclesiastes 2:23
New Living Translation

23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 2:23
New International Version

23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(A) even at night their minds do not rest.(B) This too is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
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Ecclesiastes 2:17
New Living Translation

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

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Ecclesiastes 2:17
New International Version

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(A)

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Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
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Ecclesiastes 11:8
New Living Translation

8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 11:8
New International Version

8 However many years anyone may live,
    let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember(A) the days of darkness,
    for there will be many.
    Everything to come is meaningless.

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Ecclesiastes 10
Ecclesiastes 12
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Ecclesiastes 6:11
New Living Translation

11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

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Ecclesiastes 6:11
New International Version

11 The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?

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Ecclesiastes 5
Ecclesiastes 7
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New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

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