Ecclesiastes 6
1 Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun, —and it is, common, among men:
There is also another evil, which I have seen under the sun, and that frequent among men:
2 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.
A man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and honour, and his soul wanteth nothing of all that he desireth: yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it up. This is vanity and a great misery.
3 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!
If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, and attain to a great age, and his soul make no use of the goods of his substance, and he be without burial: of this man I pronounce, that the untimely born is better than he.
4 For, in vain, it came in, and, in darkness, it departeth, —and, with darkness, its name, is covered:
For he came in vain, and goeth to darkness, and his name shall be wholly forgotten.
5 even the sun, it never saw, nor aught did it know, —more quietness, hath this than the other.
He hath not seen the sun, nor known the distance of good and evil:
6 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?
Although he lived two thousand years, and hath not enjoyed good things: do not all make haste to one place?
7 All the toil of man, is for his mouth, —though, even the desire, is not satisfied!
All the labour of man is for his mouth, but his soul shall not be filled.
8 For what profit hath the wise man, over the dullard? What can, the poor man, know—so as to walk before the living?
What hath the wise man more than the fool? and what the poor man, but to go thither, where there is life?
9 Better what the eyes behold, than the wandering of desire, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Better it is to see what thou mayst desire, than to desire that which thou canst not know. But this also is vanity, and presumption of spirit.
10 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.
He that shall be, his name is already called: and it is known, that he is man, and cannot contend in judgment with him that is stronger than himself.
11 Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
There are many words that have much vanity in disputing.
12 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?
What needeth a man to seek things that are above him, whereas he knoweth not what is profitable for him in his life, in all the days of his pilgrimage, and the time that passeth like a shadow? Or who can tell him what shall be after him under the sun?
