New American Standard Bible 1995

Ecclesiastes 1:13-18

13And I 1set my 2mind to seek and 3explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is 4a grievous 5task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is 6 7vanity and striving after wind. 15What is 8crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16I 9said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased 10wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my 11mind has observed 12a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I 13set my 14mind to know wisdom and to 15know madness and folly; I realized that this also is 16striving after wind. 18Because 17in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 1

Notes

1. Ecclesiastes 1:13 Eccl 1:17 ↩
2. Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit heart ↩
3. Ecclesiastes 1:13 Eccl 3:10, 11; 7:25; 8:17 ↩
4. Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit an evil ↩
5. Ecclesiastes 1:13 Eccl 2:23, 26; 3:10; 4:8 ↩
6. Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or futility ↩
7. Ecclesiastes 1:14 Eccl 2:11, 17; 4:4; 6:9 ↩
8. Ecclesiastes 1:15 Eccl 7:13 ↩
9. Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit spoke with my heart, saying ↩
10. Ecclesiastes 1:16 1 Kin 3:12; 4:30; 10:23; Eccl 2:9 ↩
11. Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit heart ↩
12. Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit an abundance ↩
13. Ecclesiastes 1:17 Eccl 1:13; 7:25 ↩
14. Ecclesiastes 1:17 Lit heart ↩
15. Ecclesiastes 1:17 Eccl 2:12; 7:25 ↩
16. Ecclesiastes 1:17 Eccl 1:14; 2:11, 17; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9 ↩
17. Ecclesiastes 1:18 Eccl 2:23; 12:12 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1