Ecclesiastes 6
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it [is] common among men:
I have observed another evil here on earth, and it has a great impact on humanity.
2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honor, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it: this [is] vanity, and it [is] an evil disease.
God gives wealth, possessions, and honor to someone. They have everything they want. But God doesn't let them enjoy what they have. Instead somebody else does! This is hard to fathom, and is truly evil.
3 If a man begetteth a hundred [children], and liveth many years, so that the days of his years are many, and his soul is not filled with good, and also [that] he hath no burial; I say, [that] an untimely birth [is] better than he.
A man could have one hundred children, and grow old, but it wouldn't matter how long his life was if he couldn't enjoy it and at the end receive a decent burial. I would say that a stillborn child would be better off than him.
4 For he cometh with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.
The way a stillborn child comes into the world and then leaves is painfully hard to understand—arriving and departing in darkness—and who he would have been is never known.
5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known [any thing]: this hath more rest than the other.
He never saw the light of day or knew what it was like to live. Yet the child finds rest, and not this man.
6 Yes, though he liveth a thousand years twice [told], yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
Even if this man were to live a thousand years twice over he still wouldn't be happy. Don't we all end up in the same place—the grave?
7 All the labor of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
Everyone works so they can live, but they're never satisfied.
8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
So then, what real advantage do wise people have over those who are fools? And do poor people really gain anything in knowing how to behave in front of others?
9 Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit.
Be happy with what you have instead of running after what you don't! But this is also hard to do, like running after the wind.
10 That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it [is] man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.
Everything that exists has already been described. Everyone knows what people are like, and that you can't win an argument with a superior.
11 Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what [is] man the better?
For the more words you use, the harder it is to make sense. So what's the point?
12 For who knoweth what [is] good for man in [this] 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?
Who knows what's best for us and our lives? During our short lives that pass like shadows we have many unanswered questions. And who can tell us what will happen when we're gone?
