Ecclesiastes 6

1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

1I have seen another tragedy under the sun, and it weighs heavily on people:

2a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

2God gives some people great wealth, riches, and honor, so that they have everything they could ever want; but then God does not let them enjoy those things. Instead, a stranger enjoys them. This is useless and a terrible suffering.

3If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

3A man might have a hundred children and live many years, but if he never finds satisfaction in his life and doesn't even get a proper burial, I say that a stillborn baby is better off than he is.

4for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

4That baby arrives in a useless way and disappears into the darkness, and its name is forgotten in that darkness.

5moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

5Even though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it finds more rest than the man who lives life without satisfaction.

6yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

6Even if a man lives two thousand years but never enjoys life, don't we all end up in the same place?

7All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

7All of a person’s hard work is to feed themselves, and yet their hunger is never satisfied.

8For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

8So what advantage does a wise person have over a fool? What does a poor person gain by knowing how to survive among others?

9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

9It is better to enjoy what you have in front of you than to constantly want more. Wanting more is useless—it is like chasing the wind.

10Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

10Everything that exists was named long ago, and it is well known what humans are; we cannot argue with God, who is much stronger than we are.

11Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

11The more words we use, the more useless things become; so what does a person really gain?

12For who knoweth what is good for man in his 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?

12Who knows what is truly good for a person during the few days of their meaningless life, which passes like a shadow? And who can tell them what will happen on this earth after they are gone?