Ecclesiastes 6

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

I've witnessed a grievous misfortune under the sun, one that weighs heavily on people and is all too common:

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

A man blessed by God with wealth, honor, and everything he desires, yet God does not let him enjoy it, and a stranger enjoys his riches instead. This is futile and a grievous affliction.

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives for many years, if he doesn't find joy in life and doesn't receive a proper farewell after death, then a stillborn child is better off than he is.

For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

He arrives full of emptiness, leaves shrouded in mystery, and his identity is lost in the shadows.

Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

Though it has never seen the sun or known anything, that child has more rest than that man.

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

Even if one lives for two thousand years, without experiencing joy or goodness, what's the point? Don't we all end up in the same place?

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

Every effort we make is to feed ourselves, yet our hunger is never truly satisfied.

For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

What advantage does the wise have over the fool? What does the poor gain by knowing how to conduct themselves among the living?

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

It's healthier to focus on what you can see, rather than chasing after unfulfilled desires. This too is a pointless pursuit that only leads to frustration.

That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.

Whatever exists was named long ago, and it is known what a human being is. No one can argue with someone stronger than themselves.

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

Amidst the abundance of things that amplify emptiness, how does man truly benefit?

For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

Who truly knows what's best for us in this fleeting life, where we exist like passing shadows? Who can predict what will happen to us under the sun after we're gone?