Ecclesiastes 6:2-10

English Standard Version

² a man ^(A)to whom ^(B)God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he ^(C)lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God ^(D)does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity;^[a] it is a grievous evil. ³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that ^(E)the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's ^(F)good things, and he also has no ^(G)burial, I say that ^(H)a stillborn child is better off than he. ⁴ For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. ⁵ Moreover, it has not ^(I)seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds ^(J)rest rather than he. ⁶ Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy^[b] no good—do not all go to the one place?

^7 (K)All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.^{[c] 8} For what advantage has the wise man ^(L)over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? ⁹ Better ^(M)is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is ^(N)vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁰ Whatever has come to be has ^(O)already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to ^(P)dispute with one stronger than he.