1 These are the words of the Teacher,^[a] King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher

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

⁹ Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. ¹⁰ The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.^[a]

The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom

¹² I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.

²⁷ “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.

⁴² Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ⁴³ When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.

⁵ And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

Good News for the Oppressed

¹⁷ But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent Adoniram,^[a] who was in charge of forced labor, to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ And to this day the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.