Study Desk

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread among mankind:

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

a person to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to enjoy these things, but a foreigner enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction.

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness.

For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

"It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet it is better off than that man.

Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

"Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—do not all go to one and the same place?"

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

All a person's labor is for his mouth, and yet his appetite is not satisfied.

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

For what advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living?

For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and striving after wind.

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.