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The Futility of Life

¹ There is an ^(C1)evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent ^(F1)among men--² a man to whom God has ^(C1)given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul ^(C2)lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner ^(F1)enjoys them. This is ^(F2)vanity and a severe affliction.³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ^(F1)they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper ^(C1)burial, then I say, "Better ^(C2)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; ^(F1)it is better off than he.⁶ "Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not ^(F1)enjoy good things--^(C1)do not all go to one place?"

^7 (C1)All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the ^(F1)appetite is not ^(F2)satisfied.⁸ For ^(C1)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 ^(C1)see is better than what the soul ^(F1)desires. This too is ^(C2)futility and a striving after wind.

¹⁰ Whatever ^(C1)exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he ^(C2)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 ^(F1)years of his futile life? He will ^(F2)spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man ^(C1)what will be after him under the sun?