Ecclesiastes 6
The Futility of Life
1 There is an aevil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread ▼▼Lit upon
among mankind: 2a person to whom God has cgiven riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul dlacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to ▼▼Lit eat from it
enjoy these things, but a foreigner ▼▼Lit eats it
enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. 3If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ▼▼Lit the days of his years
they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper hburial, then I say, “Better ithe miscarriage than he, 4for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness. 5It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet ▼▼Lit more rest has this one than that
it is better off than that man. 6Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things-- kdo not all go to one and the same place?” 7 lAll a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet ▼▼Lit the soul
his appetite is not ▼▼Lit filled
satisfied. 8For owhat advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9What the eyes psee is better than what the soul ▼▼Lit goes after
desires. This too is rfutility and striving after wind. 10 Whatever sexists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he tcannot dispute with the ▼▼Or Him who
one who is mightier than he is. 11For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person? 12For who knows what is good for a person during his lifetime, during the few ▼▼Lit days
years of his futile life? He will ▼▼Lit do
spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a person xwhat will happen after him under the sun?
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