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

There is another bad thing which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard for 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.

God gives a man riches and many good things and honor, so that he has everything he wants. But He does not allow him to have joy from them, for a stranger has joy from them. This is for nothing, and is very bad.

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 becomes the father of a hundred children and lives many years until he is very old, but he is not happy with good things, and is not buried as he should be, then I say that the child who dies before it is born is shown more favor than he.

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

For this child comes for nothing and goes into darkness, and in darkness its 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.

It never sees the sun and it never knows anything. It is better off 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 if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not find joy in good things, do not all go to the same place?

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

All a man’s work is for his mouth, and yet his hunger is not filled.

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 is better for the wise man than for the fool? And what good does the poor man have who knows how to walk among 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.

What the eyes see is better than what there is a desire for. This also is for nothing, like trying to catch the wind.

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 has come to be has already been given a name. It is known what man is, and that he cannot argue with one who is stronger than he.

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

The more words there are, the more they are worth nothing. What good is that to anyone?

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 knows what is good for a man during his life, during the few years of his living for nothing? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will happen after he is gone under the sun?