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

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

2 A man to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honour so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but the strangers eat it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

A man to whom God has given riches, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he might desire, yet God does not give him the power or capacity to enjoy them, but a stranger consumes and enjoys them. This is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); it is a sore affliction!

3 I f a man begets a hundred sons and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, if his soul is not filled with good and also that he have no burial; I say that an aborted birth is better than he.

If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, but his life is not filled with good, and also he is given no burial, I say that an untimely birth is better off than he,

4 F or he came in vain and departs unto darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

For comes in futility and goes into darkness, and in darkness his name is covered.

5 E ven though he has not seen the sun nor known any thing; this one has more rest than the other.

Moreover, he has not seen the sun nor had any knowledge, yet he has rest rather than he.

6 F or though the other should live a thousand years twice and has not enjoyed good; both shall surely go to the same place.

Even though he lives a thousand years twice over and yet has seen no good and experienced no enjoyment—do not all go to one place ?

7 ¶ All the labour of man is for his mouth, and with all this the appetite is not filled.

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet his desire is not satisfied.

8 F or what has the wise more than the fool? what more has the poor that knows how to walk among the living?

For what advantage has the wise man over the fool ? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk before the living ?

9 I t is better to enjoy the good that is present than the wandering of desire; this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Better is the sight of the eyes than the cravings of wandering desire. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it!

10 H e that is has been named already; and it is known that he is man and that he shall not be able to contend with him that is mightier than he.

Whatever is, he has been named that long ago, and it is known that it is man; nor can he contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11 ¶ Certainly the many words multiply vanity, what more does man have?

Seeing that there are many other things and words that increase the emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility, what profit and what outcome is there for man?

12 F or who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of the life of his vanity which he causes to be as a shadow? for who shall teach the man what shall be after him under the sun?

For who '> limited to human wisdom] knows what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow ? For who can tell a man what will happen under the sun after he is gone?