Ecclesiastes 6
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard on men;
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:
2 A man to whom God gives money, wealth, and honour so that he has all his desires but God does not give him the power to have joy of it, and a strange man takes it. This is to no purpose and an evil disease.
a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
3 If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.
If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul have not enough of good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he;
4 In wind it came and to the dark it will go, and with the dark will its name be covered.
for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;
5 Yes, it saw not the sun, and it had no knowledge; it is better with this than with the other.
moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath gratification rather than the other;
6 And though he goes on living a thousand years twice over and does not see good, are not the two going to the same place?
yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and enjoy no good; do not all go to one place?
7 All the work of man is for his mouth, and still he has a desire for food.
All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
8 What have the wise more than the foolish? and what has the poor man by walking wisely before the living?
For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or the poor man that hath understanding, in walking before the living?
9 What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.
Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire; this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
10 That which is, has been named before, and of what man is there is knowledge. He has no power against one stronger than he.
Whatsoever cometh into being, the name thereof was given long ago, and it is foreknown what man is; neither can he contend with Him that is mightier than he.
11 There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?
Seeing there are many words that increase vanity, what is man the better?
12 Who is able to say what is good for man in life all the days of his foolish life which he goes through like a shade? who will say what is to be after him under the sun?
For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
