Ecclesiastes 5:11-17 in English

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:

¹⁴ and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed, and hath sickness and wrath.

¹¹ The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but to one who is satiated with wealth, there is none that suffers him to sleep.

¹² There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, namely, wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.

¹³ And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: and the man begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁴ As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, he shall return back as he came, and he shall receive nothing for his labour, that it should go with him in his hand.

¹⁵ And this is also an evil infirmity: for as he came, so also shall he return: and what is his gain, for which he vainly labours?

¹⁶ Yea, all his days are in darkness, and in mourning, and much sorrow, and infirmity, and wrath.

¹⁷ Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing for a man to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labour in which he may labour under the sun, all the number of the days of his life which God has given to him: for it is his portion.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

¹⁴ But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

¹⁴ But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

¹¹ The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but to one who is satiated with wealth, there is none that suffers him to sleep.

¹² There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, namely, wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.

¹³ And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: and the man begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁴ As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, he shall return back as he came, and he shall receive nothing for his labor, that it should go with him in his hand.

¹⁵ And this is also an evil infirmity: for as he came, so also shall he return: and what is his gain, for which he vainly labors?

¹⁶ Yes, all his days are in darkness, and in mourning, and much sorrow, and infirmity, and wrath.

¹⁷ Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing for a man to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labor in which he may labor under the sun, all the number of the days of his life which God has given to him: for it is his portion.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:

¹⁴ and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed and hath sickness and wrath.

¹¹ The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not RHQ benefit from it; they see MTY it when they get it, but it soon ◄disappears/is completely spent►.

¹² Those who work hard sleep peacefully at night, even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich people do not sleep well, because they worry about their money.

¹³ I have seen another terrible thing that happens here on the earth MTY: People save up all their money and become rich, but they are not helped by saving a lot of money,

¹⁴ because something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.

¹⁵ When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.

¹⁶ That also seems senseless. People bring nothing into the world when they are born, and they leave this world taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit MET.

¹⁷ Furthermore, rich people are always miserable MET and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and ◄resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair►.

¹¹ The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but to one who is satiated with wealth, there is none that suffers him to sleep.

¹² There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, namely, wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.

¹³ And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: and the man begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁴ As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, he shall return back as he came, and he shall receive nothing for his labour, that it should go with him in his hand.

¹⁵ And this is also an evil infirmity: for as he came, so also shall he return: and what is his gain, for which he vainly labours?

¹⁶ Yes, all his days are in darkness, and in mourning, and much sorrow, and infirmity, and wrath.

¹⁷ Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing for a man to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labour in which he may labour under the sun, all the number of the days of his life which God has given to him: for it is his portion.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labours for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

¹² The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

¹³ There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

¹⁴ And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what profit is there to the owner thereof, except the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of the labourer is sweet, whether he have eaten little or much; but the fulness of the rich doth not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt;

¹⁴ or those riches perish by some evil circumstance, and if he have begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go away again as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came so doth he go away, and what profit hath he, in having laboured for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and hath much vexation, and sickness, and irritation.

¹¹ Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹² There is also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.

¹³ For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.

¹⁴ As he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.

¹⁵ A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind?

¹⁶ All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.

¹⁷ This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.

¹¹ The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!

¹² Those who work hard sleep well, whether they have a little to eat or plenty, but the rich own so much they don't get any rest.

¹³ I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.

¹⁴ They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.

¹⁵ When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.

¹⁶ This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?

¹⁷ They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.

¹¹ The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.

¹² There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.

¹³ And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.

¹⁴ As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by his hand.

¹⁵ And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?

¹⁶ Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.

¹⁷ Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.

¹¹ (5-10) When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹² (5-11) Sweet is the sleep of a labouring man, whether he eat little or much; but the satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ (5-12) There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt;

¹⁴ (5-13) and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ (5-14) As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he go back as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ (5-15) And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?

¹⁷ (5-16) All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much vexation and sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

¹⁴ But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

¹¹ (5:10) When prosperity increaseth, those that consume it likewise increase: and what advantage is there to its owner, saving to see it with his eyes?

¹² (5:11) Sweet is the sleep of the laboring man, whether he eat little or much; but the overabundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ (5:12) There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches reserved for their owner to his own hurt.

¹⁴ (5:13) And these riches are lost through an unfortunate event; and he begetteth a son, and hath not the least in his hand:

¹⁵ (5:14) As he came forth out of his mother's womb, naked will he return to go as he came; and not the least will he carry off for his toil, which he might take away with him.

¹⁶ (5:15) And also this is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so must he go: and what profit hath he that hath toiled for the wind?

¹⁷ (5:16) All his days also had he to eat in darkness, and hath had much vexation and wrath with his sickness.

¹¹ The sleep of a servant is sweet, Whether he eat little or much: But to one who is satiated with wealth, There is none that suffers him to sleep.

¹² There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, Namely, wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.

¹³ And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: And the man begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁴ As he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, He shall return back as he came, And he shall receive nothing for his labor, That it should go with him in his hand.

¹⁵ And this is also an evil infirmity: For as he came, so also shall he return: And what is his gain, for which he vainly labors?

¹⁶ Yea, all his days are in darkness, and in mourning, And much sorrow, and infirmity, and wrath.

¹⁷ Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing for a man To eat and to drink, And to see good In all his labor in Which he may labor under the sun, All the number of the days of his life Which God has given to him: For it is his portion.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage hath the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?

¹² Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he have eaten little or much; but the repletion of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, — riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt.

¹⁴ For those riches perish by some calamity, and, if he have a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came forth from his mother's womb naked, so shall he go away again, as he came, and shall take away nothing of his labor which he may carry in his hand.

¹⁶ This is also a sore evil, that, in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit is there to him who toileth for wind?

¹⁷ Also all his days he ate in darkness, and had much grief and anxiety and vexation.

¹¹ As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it. What advantage in wealth is there to the owner except to watch it with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or a lot, but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well.

¹³ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.

¹⁴ When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck, his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.

¹⁵ As a man comes from his mother's womb, so also he will leave naked. He can take none of the fruits of his labor in his hand.

¹⁶ Another evil is that as a person comes, so he goes away. So what profit is there for him who works for the wind?

¹⁷ During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labours for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners of them, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eateth little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely , riches kept for the owners of them to their hurt.

¹⁴ But those riches perish by evil labor: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came into the world, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?

¹² The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

¹⁴ Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

¹⁵ As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labours for the wind?

¹⁷ All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.

¹¹ Where there be many riches, also many men there be, that eat those; and what profiteth it to the holder, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?

¹² Sleep is sweet to him that worketh, whether he eat little either much; but the fullness of a rich man suffereth not him to sleep.

¹³ Also another sickness is full evil, which I saw under the sun; riches be kept into the harm of their lord.

¹⁴ For they perish in the worst torment; he begat a son, that shall be in sovereign neediness.

¹⁵ As he went naked out of his mother’s womb, so he shall turn again; and he shall take away with him nothing of his travail.

¹⁶ Utterly it is a wretched sickness; as he came, so he shall turn again. What profiteth it to him, that he travailed into the wind?

¹⁷ In all the days of his life he ate in darknesses, and in many busynesses, and in neediness, and sorrow.

¹¹ Where there be many riches, also many men there be, that eat those, (or Where there be many riches, there also be many people, who shall eat them); and what profiteth it to the holder, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?

¹² Sleep is sweet to him that worketh, whether he eat little either much; but the fullness of a rich man suffereth not him to sleep. (Sleep is sweet to him who worketh, whether he eat a little or a great deal; but a rich person’s fullness will not allow him to sleep.)

¹³ Also another sickness is full evil, which I saw under the sun; riches (that) be kept into the harm of their lord.

¹⁴ For they perish in the worst torment; (and) he begat a son, that shall be in sovereign neediness. (And then those riches be lost in a terrible calamity; and so he hath begotten a son, who shall be left in great neediness.)

¹⁵ As he went naked out of his mother’s womb, so he shall turn again; and he shall take away with him nothing of his travail. (As he went naked out of his mother’s womb, so he shall return; and he shall not take away with him anything gained from all his labour.)

¹⁶ Utterly it is a wretched sickness; as he came, so he shall turn again. What profiteth it to him, that he travailed into the wind? (Yea, it is utterly a wretched sickness; as he came, so he shall return. What hath it profited him? he hath only laboured for the wind!)

¹⁷ In all the days of his life he ate in darknesses, and in many busynesses, and in neediness, and sorrow.

¹¹ In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit is to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?

¹² Sweet is the sleep of the labourer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not suffering him to sleep.

¹³ There is a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.

¹⁴ And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

¹⁵ As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand.

¹⁶ And this also is a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage is to him who laboureth for wind?

¹⁷ Also all his days in darkness he consumeth, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.