Ecclesiastes 6:1-9 in English

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

² a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

⁴ for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

⁵ moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

⁶ yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:

² a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honour, 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.

³ If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, yea, 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.

⁴ For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

⁵ Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is no more rest to this one than another.

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?

⁷ All the labour of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be 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?

⁹ The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

² A man to whom God hath given 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 beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

² A man to whom God hath given 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 beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:

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.

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.

⁴ For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

⁵ Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is no more rest to this one than another.

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?

⁷ All the labor of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be 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?

⁹ The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

² a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, so that he lacketh 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 beget an hundred children and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

⁴ for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

⁵ moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

⁶ yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹ I have seen something else here on this earth that troubles people.

² God enables some people to get a lot of money and possessions and to be honored; they have everything LIT that they want. But God sometimes does not allow them to continue to enjoy those things. Someone else gets them and enjoys them. That seems senseless and unfair.

³ Someone might have a hundred children and live for many years. But if he is not able to enjoy the things that he has acquired, and if he is not buried properly after he dies, I say that a child that is dead when it is born is more fortunate.

⁴ That dead baby's birth is meaningless; it does not even have a name. It goes directly to the place where there is only darkness.

⁵ It does not live to see the sun or know anything. But it finds more rest than rich people do who are alive.

⁶ Even if people could live for two thousand years, if they do not enjoy the things that God gives to them, it would have been better for them never to have been born. All people who live a long time certainly RHQ all go to the same place— to the grave.

⁷ People work hard to earn enough money to buy food to eat MTY, but often they never get enough to eat.

⁸ So it seems that RHQ wise people do not receive more lasting benefits than foolish people do. And it seems that RHQ poor people do not benefit from knowing how to conduct their lives.

⁹ It is better to enjoy the things that we already have MTY than to constantly want more things; continually wanting more things is senseless, like chasing the wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:

² a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honour, 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.

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.

⁴ For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

⁵ Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is no more rest to this one than another.

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?

⁷ All the labour of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be 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?

⁹ The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honour, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard on 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.

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.

⁴ In wind it came and to the dark it will go, and with the dark will its name be covered.

⁵ Yes, it saw not the sun, and it had no knowledge; it is better with this than with 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?

⁷ All the work of man is for his mouth, and still he has a desire for food.

⁸ What have the wise more than the foolish? and what has the poor man by walking wisely 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.

¹ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among men:

² one to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, and 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 a sore evil.

³ If a man beget a hundred sons, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, but his soul be not filled with good, and also he have no burial, I say an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ For it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness;

⁵ moreover it hath not seen nor known the sun: this hath rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live twice a thousand years, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage hath the wise above the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

¹ There is also another evil, which I have seen under the sun, and that frequent among men:

² 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 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 he came in vain, and goeth to darkness, and his name shall be wholly forgotten.

⁵ He hath not seen the sun, nor known the distance of good and evil:

⁶ Although he lived two thousand years, and hath not enjoyed good things: do not all make haste to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, but his soul shall not be filled.

⁸ What hath the wise man more than the fool? and what the poor man, but to go thither, where there is life?

⁹ 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.

¹ I have observed another evil here on earth, and it has a great impact on humanity.

² 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 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 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 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 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 Everyone works so they can live, but they're never satisfied.

⁸ 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 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.

¹ There is an euill, which I sawe vnder the sunne, and it is much among men:

² A man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures and honour, and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that it desireth: but God giueth him not power to eate thereof, but a strange man shall eate it vp: this is vanitie, and this is an euill sicknesse.

³ If a man beget an hundreth children and liue many yeeres, and the dayes of his yeeres be multiplied, and his soule be not satisfied with good things, and he be not buried, I say that an vntimely fruite is better then he.

⁴ For he commeth into vanitie and goeth into darkenesse: and his name shall be couered with darkenesse.

⁵ Also he hath not seene ye sunne, nor knowen it: therefore this hath more rest then the other.

⁶ And if he had liued a thousand yeeres twise tolde, and had seene no good, shall not all goe to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth: yet the soule is not filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise man more then the foole? what hath the poore that knoweth how to walke before the liuing?

⁹ The sight of ye eye is better then to walke in ye lustes: this also is vanitie, and vexation of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

² 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 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 for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

⁵ moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath gratification rather than the other;

⁶ yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and enjoy no good; do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or the poor man that hath understanding, in walking before the living?

⁹ Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire; this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

² a man to whom God hath given 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 beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is great on men:

² There is many a man to whom God hath given riches, property, and honor, and nothing is wanting for his soul of all that he longeth for: yet God empowereth him not to eat thereof, but a stranger will consume it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man were to beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years were many, and his soul were not satisfied with what is good, and he have not had even a burial: then do I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ For in vanity it came, and in darkness it departeth, and with darkness will its name be covered.

⁵ Moreover it never saw the sun, and knew nothing: this hath more rest than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he were to live a thousand years twice told, and had not seen any good— doth not every one go to one place?

⁷ All the toil of a man is for his mouth; and yet is his desire never filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk properly before the living?

⁹ Better is what one seeth with the eyes than the wandering of the desire. Also this is vanity and a torture of the spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, And it is abundant with man:

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.

³ If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, Yea, 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.

⁴ For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, And his name shall be covered in darkness.

⁵ Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: There is no more rest to this one than another.

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?

⁷ All the labor of a man is for his mouth, And yet the appetite shall not be 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?

⁹ The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: This is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it lieth heavy upon men;

² a man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honor, and nothing is wanting to him of all which he desireth, yet God giveth him not to taste thereof; but a stranger enjoyeth it. This is vanity, yea, a grievous evil.

³ Though a man have a hundred children, and live many years, and though the days of his years be many, if his soul be not satisfied with good, and he have no burial, I say that an untimely birth is better than he.

⁴ This, indeed, cometh in nothingness, and goeth down into darkness, and its name is covered with darkness;

⁵ it hath not seen the sun, nor known it; yet hath it rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and see no good, — do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet his desires are not satisfied.

⁸ For what advantage hath the wise man over the fool? What advantage hath the poor, who knoweth how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity, and striving after wind.

¹ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavy on men.

² God might give riches, wealth, and honor to a man so that he lacks nothing that he desires for himself, but then God gives him no ability to enjoy it. Instead, someone else uses his things. This is vapor, an evil affliction.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but if his heart is not satisfied with good and he is not buried, then I say that a baby that is born dead is better off than he is.

⁴ Even such a baby is born in futility and passes away in darkness, and its name remains hidden.

⁵ Although this child does not see the sun or know anything, it has rest even though that man did not.

⁶ Even if a man should live for two thousand years but does not learn to enjoy good things, he goes to the same place as everyone else.

⁷ All a man's work is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.

⁸ Indeed, what advantage has the wise person over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have even if he knows how to act in front of other people?

⁹ It is better to be satisfied with what the eyes see than to desire what a wandering appetite craves, which is also vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honour, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

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.

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.

⁴ For he cometh with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing : this hath more rest than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he liveth a thousand years twice told , yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

² a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honour, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he;

⁴ for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶ Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹ Also another evil there is, which I saw under the sun; and certainly it is oft used with men.

² A man is, to whom God gave riches, and chattel or substance, and honour; and nothing faileth to his soul of all things which he desireth; and God giveth not power to him, that he eat thereof, but a strange man shall devour it. This is vanity, and a great wretchedness.

³ If a man engendereth an hundred free sons, and hath many days of age, and his soul useth not the goods of his chattel or substance, and wanteth burying; I pronounce of this man, that a dead-born child is better than he.

⁴ For he cometh in vain, and goeth to darknesses; and his name shall be done away by forgetting.

⁵ He saw not the sun, neither knew the diversity of good and of evil;

⁶ also though he live two thousand years, and useth not the goods; whether all things hasten not to one place?

⁷ All the travail of a man is in his mouth, but the soul of him shall not be ful filled with goods.

⁸ What hath a wise man more than a fool? and what hath a poor man, but that he go thither, where is life?

⁹ It is better to see that, that thou covetest, than to desire that, that thou knowest not; but also this is vanity, and presumption of spirit.

¹ Also another evil there is (or There is also another evil), which I saw under the sun; and certainly it is oft used with men.

² A man is, to whom God gave riches, and chattel, and honour; and nothing faileth to his soul of all things which he desireth; and God giveth not power to him, that he eat thereof, but a strange man shall devour it. This is vanity, and a great wretchedness. (There is a person, to whom God gave riches, and possessions, and honour; and he lacketh nothing of all the things which he desireth; but God giveth him not the power to enjoy those things, but a stranger shall enjoy them. This is empty and futile, and a great wretchedness.)

³ If a man engendereth an hundred free sons, and hath many days of age, and his soul useth not the goods of his chattel, and wanteth burying; I pronounce of this man, that a dead-born child is better than he. (Yea, if a man begetteth a hundred sons, and hath many years of age, and yet he is not able to enjoy the good things in his life, and at the last he even lacketh a proper burial, or a proper tomb; I declare of this man, that a still-born child is better than he.)

⁴ For he cometh in vain, and goeth to darknesses; and his name shall be done away by forgetting.

⁵ He saw not the sun, neither knew the diversity of good and of evil;

⁶ also though he live two thousand years, and useth not goods; whether all things hasten not to one place? (even if he live two thousand years, he hath not enjoyed the good things in his life; and do not all hasten to one and the same place?)

⁷ All the travail of a man is in his mouth, but the soul of him shall not be ful filled with goods. (All the labour of a person is for his mouth, yet his belly, or his appetite, shall never be fulfilled with enough good things.)

⁸ What hath a wise man more than a fool? and what hath a poor man, but that he go thither, where is life? (What more hath a person who is wise, than a person who is a fool? or what hath someone who is poor, but that he go there, with a knowledge, or with an understanding, of life?)

⁹ It is better to see that, that thou covetest, than to desire that, that thou knowest not; but also this is vanity, and presumption of spirit. (It is better to see what thou covetest, than to desire what thou knowest not; but this is also empty and futile, like chasing the wind.)

¹ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is great on man:

² A man to whom God giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³ If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, 'Better than he is the untimely birth.'

⁴ For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goeth, and in darkness his name is covered,

⁵ Even the sun he hath not seen nor known, more rest hath this than that.

⁶ And though he had lived a thousand years twice over, yet good he hath not seen; to the same place doth not every one go?

⁷ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled.

⁸ For what advantage is to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.