Ecclesiastes 6

The Futility of Life

1There is an 1evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread 2among mankind: 2a person to whom God has 3given riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul 4lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to 5enjoy these things, but a foreigner 6enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. 3If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many 7they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper 8burial, then I say, “Better 9the miscarriage than he, 4for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness. 5It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet 10it is better off than that man. 6Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things--11do not all go to one and the same place?”

712All a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet 13his appetite is not 14satisfied. 8For 15what advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9What the eyes 16see is better than what the soul 17desires. This too is 18futility and striving after wind.

10Whatever 19exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he 20cannot dispute with the 21one who is mightier than he is. 11For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person? 12For who knows what is good for a person during his lifetime, during the few 22years of his futile life? He will 23spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a person 24what will happen after him under the sun?