Ecclesiastes

6 Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun,—and it is common among men:

2 A man to whom God giveth riches and gains and honour so that nothing doth he lack for his soul—of all that he craveth and yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a man unknown eateth it,—this was vanity and an incurable evil it was.

3 Though a man should beget a hundred children and live many years so that many should be the days of his years but his own soul should not be satisfied with the good, and he should not even have a burial I said, Better than he is an untimely birth!

4 For in vain it came in and in darkness it departeth,—and with darkness its name is covered:

5 even the sun it never saw nor aught did it know,—more quietness hath this than the other.

6 Even though one hath lived a thousand years twice told yet good hath he not seen,—is it not unto one place that all are going?

7 All the toil of man is for his mouth,—though even the desire is not satisfied!

8 For what profit hath the wise man over the dullard? What can the poor man know—so as to walk before the living?

9 Better what the eyes behold than the wandering of desire,—even this was vanity and a feeding on wind.

10 Whatsoever one may be long ago was he called by his name, and it is known that it is—Son of Earth,—he cannot therefore contend with one stronger than he.

11 Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound what profit hath man?

12 For who knoweth what is good for a man throughout his life, for the number of the days of his life of vanity, seeing he will make them like a shadow,—for who can tell a man, what shall be after him under the sun?