The Futility of Life

6 There is an ^(A)evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent ^[a]among men— ² a man to whom God has ^(B)given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul ^(C)lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner ^[b]enjoys them. This is ^[c]vanity and a severe affliction. ³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ^[d]they 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 it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity. ⁵ It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; ^[e]it is better off than he. ⁶ Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not ^[f]enjoy good things—^(F)do not all go to one place?”

^7 (G)All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the ^[g]appetite is not ^[h]satisfied. ⁸ For ^(H)what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? ⁹ What the eyes ^(I)see is better than what the soul ^[i]desires. This too is ^(J)futility and a striving after wind.

¹⁰ Whatever ^(K)exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he ^(L)cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. ¹¹ For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man? ¹² For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few ^[j]years of his futile life? He will ^[k]spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man ^(M)what will be after him under the sun?