There is an ^aevil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread ¹among mankind: 2 a person to whom God has ^agiven riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul ^blacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to ¹enjoy these things, but a foreigner ²enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ¹they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper ^aburial, then I say, “Better ^bthe 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 ¹it is better off than that man. 6 Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—^ado not all go to one and the same place?”

7 ^aAll a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet ¹his appetite is not ²satisfied. 8 For ^awhat advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9 What the eyes ^asee is better than what the soul ¹desires. This too is ^bfutility and striving after wind.

10 Whatever ^aexists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he ^bcannot dispute with the ¹one who is mightier than he is. 11 For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person? 12 For who knows what is good for a person during his lifetime, during the few ¹years of his futile life? He will ²spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a person ^awhat will happen after him under the sun?