Ecclesiastes 6
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:
Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun, —and it is, common, among men:
2 a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honor, and he wants nothing for his soul of all things that he shall desire, yet God shall not give him power to eat of it, for a stranger shall devour it: this is vanity, and an evil infirmity.
A man to whom God giveth riches and gains and honour, so that nothing doth he lack for his soul—of all that he craveth, and yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but, a man unknown, eateth it, —this, was vanity, and, an incurable evil, it was.
3 If a man beget a hundred [children], and live many years, yes, however abundant the days of his years shall be, yet [if] his soul shall not be satisfied with good, and also he have no burial; I said, An untimely birth is better than he.
Though a man should beget a hundred children, and live, many years, so that many should be the days of his years but, his own soul, should not be satisfied with the good, and he should not even have, a burial, I said, Better than he, is an untimely birth!
4 For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.
For, in vain, it came in, and, in darkness, it departeth, —and, with darkness, its name, is covered:
5 Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is [no more rest] to this one than another.
even the sun, it never saw, nor aught did it know, —more quietness, hath this than the other.
6 Though he has lived to the return of a thousand years, yet he has seen no good: do not all go to one place?
Even though one hath lived a thousand years twice told, yet, good, hath he not seen, —is it not, unto one place, that, all, are going?
7 All the labor of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be satisfied.
All the toil of man, is for his mouth, —though, even the desire, is not satisfied!
8 For [what] advantage has the wise man over the fool, since [even] the poor knows how to walk in the direction of life?
For what profit hath the wise man, over the dullard? What can, the poor man, know—so as to walk before the living?
9 The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.
Better what the eyes behold, than the wandering of desire, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
10 If anything has been, its name has already been called: and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is stronger than he.
Whatsoever one may be, long ago, was he called by his name, and it is known that it is—Son of Earth, —he cannot, therefore, contend with one stronger than he.
11 For there are many things which increase vanity.
Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
12 What advantage has a man? for who knows [what is] good for a man in his life, [during] the number of the life of the days of his vanity? and he has spent them as a shadow; for who shall tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
For who knoweth what is good for a man throughout his life, for the number of the days of his life of vanity, seeing he will make them, like a shadow, —for who can tell a man, what shall be after him, under the sun?
