Ecclesiastes 6:1-7

New American Standard Bible

The Futility of Life

6 There is an ^(A)evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread ^[a]among mankind: ² a person to whom God has ^(B)given riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul ^(C)lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to ^[b]enjoy these things, but a foreigner ^[c]enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. ³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ^[d]they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper ^(D)burial, then I say, “Better ^(E)the miscarriage than he, ⁴ for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness. ⁵ It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet ^[e]it is better off than that man. ⁶ Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—^(F)do not all go to one and the same place?”

^7 (G)All a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet ^[f]his appetite is not ^[g]satisfied.