1I have seen a terrible problem on Earth, and it weighs heavily on people:
2God gives someone riches, wealth, and honor, so they have everything their heart desires, but God doesn't allow them to enjoy it; instead, a stranger enjoys it. This is pointless and a terrible sickness.
3If a man fathers a hundred children and lives for many years, but is not satisfied with good things and also doesn't receive a proper burial, I say that a baby born dead is better off than he is.
4Because the stillborn baby comes for no purpose and leaves in darkness, and its name is forgotten.
5It never saw the sun or experienced anything. This baby finds rest more than the other man.
6Even if he lives two thousand years but fails to enjoy good things, don't all people end up in the same place?
7All human effort is for eating, but our hunger is never fully satisfied.
8What advantage does a wise person have over a fool? What advantage does a poor person have who knows how to live among the living?
9Seeing things with your own eyes is better than constantly wanting more. This too is pointless, like chasing the wind.
10Whatever exists was named long ago, and it is known what a human is; no one can argue with someone stronger than them.
11Many words just create emptiness. What good does that do a person?
12Who knows what is good for a person in life, all the meaningless days they spend like a shadow? Who can tell a person what will happen after they are gone from the Earth?