Ecclesiastes 6:4-10 in English

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.

¹⁰ Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁰ Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago, and it is known that it is man: neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

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.

¹⁰ All the things that exist on the earth have been given names. And everyone knows what people are like, so it is useless to argue with someone (OR, with God) who is stronger than we are.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ That which is, has been named before, and of what man is there is knowledge. He has no power against one stronger 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.

¹⁰ That which is hath already been named; and what man is, is known, and that he cannot contend with him that is mightier 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.

¹⁰ 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.

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.

¹⁰ Everything that exists has already been described. Everyone knows what people are like, and that you can't win an argument with a superior.

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.

¹⁰ What is that that hath bene? the name thereof is nowe named: and it is knowen that it is man: and he cannot striue with him that is stronger then 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.

¹⁰ Whatsoever cometh into being, the name thereof was given long ago, and it is foreknown what man is; neither can he contend with Him that is mightier 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.

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.

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.

¹⁰ That which hath been is already called by its name, and it is known that he is a man: and he is not able to contend with him that is mightier 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.

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.

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.

¹⁰ That which is was long ago called by name; and it was known that he is a man, and that he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

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.

¹⁰ Whatever has existed has already been given its name, and what mankind is like has already been known. So it has become useless to dispute with the one who is the mighty judge of all.

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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

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.

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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier 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.

¹⁰ The name of him that shall come, is called now, and it is known, that he is a man, and he may not strive in doom against a stronger than himself.

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.)

¹⁰ The name of him that shall come, is called now, and it is known, that he is a man, and he may not strive in doom against a stronger than himself. (The name of what is to come is known and understood, and it is also known, that one cannot argue in court against someone stronger than oneself.)

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.

¹⁰ What is that which hath been? already is its name called, and it is known that it is man, and he is not able to contend with him who is stronger than he.