6:1 Here is 1 another misfortune 2 that I have seen on earth, 3
and it weighs 4 heavily on people: 5
6:2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth
so that he lacks nothing that his heart 6 desires, 7
yet God does not enable 8 him to enjoy 9 the fruit of his labor 10 –
instead, someone else 11 enjoys 12 it! 13
This is fruitless and a grave misfortune. 14
6:3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years –
even if he lives a long, long time, 15 but cannot enjoy his prosperity –
even if he were to live forever 16 –
I would say, “A stillborn child 17 is better off than he is!” 18
6:4 Though the stillborn child 19 came into the world 20 for no reason 21 and departed into darkness,
though its name is shrouded in darkness, 22
6:5 though it never saw the light of day 23 nor knew anything, 24
yet it has more rest 25 than that man –
6:6 if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.
For both of them die! 26
6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than 27 to fill his stomach 28 –
yet his appetite 29 is never satisfied!
6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? 30
And what advantage 31 does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive? 32
6:9 It is better to be content with 33 what the eyes can see 34
than for one’s heart always to crave more. 35
This continual longing 36 is futile – like 37 chasing the wind.
6:10 Whatever has happened was foreordained, 38
and what happens to a person 39 was also foreknown.
It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate
because God is more powerful than he is. 40
6:11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. 41
How does that benefit him? 42
6:12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life 43 –
during the few days of his fleeting life –
for 44 they pass away 45 like a shadow.
Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth. 46