1 Here is another misfortune that I have seen under the sun, and it is prevalent among humankind.
2 God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; yet God does not enable him to enjoy it—instead someone else ends up enjoying it. This is vanity—indeed, it is a grievous ill!
3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, if his heart is not satisfied with ⌞his prosperity⌟ and ⌞he does not receive a proper burial⌟, I deem the stillborn better than him.
4 For he comes into vanity and departs into darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness.
5 He has neither seen nor known the sun, yet he has more rest than him.
6 Even if a man lives a thousand years twice, if he does not enjoy ⌞prosperity⌟, ⌞both suffer the same fate⌟!
7 All of a man’s toil is for his mouth— yet his appetite is never satisfied.
8 So do the wise really have an advantage over fools? ⌞Can the poor really gain anything by knowing how to act in front of others⌟?
9 ⌞Better to be content with what your eyes see than for your soul to constantly crave more⌟. This also is vanity and chasing wind!
10 Whatever is—it was already determined, ⌞what will be—it has already been decided⌟. As for man, he cannot argue against what is more powerful than him.
11 ⌞Increasing words only multiplies futility⌟, how does that profit anyone?
12 For who knows what is good for a man in his life during the few days of his fleeting life, which are fleeting as a shadow? For who can tell anyone what will happen ⌞in the future⌟ under the sun?