Ecclesiastes 6

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There^a is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, ^aso that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; ^byet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil ¹affliction.
3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or ^aindeed he has no burial, I say that ^ba ¹stillborn child is better than he— 4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. 5 Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one ^aplace?

7

^aAll the labor of man is for his mouth,

And yet the soul is not satisfied.

For what more has the wise man than the fool?

What does the poor man have,

Who knows how to walk before the living?

Better is ¹the ^asight of the eyes than the wandering of ²desire.

This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Whatever one is, he has been named ^aalready,

For it is known that he is man;

^bAnd he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

Since there are many things that increase vanity,

How is man the better?

12 For who knows what is good for man in life, ¹all the days of his ²vain life which he passes like ^aa shadow? ^bWho can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

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