Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 6

¹ I see another evil under the sun, which goes hard with people:

² suppose someone has received from God riches, property, honours -- nothing at al left to wish for; butGod does not give the chance to enjoy them, and some stranger enjoys them. This is futile, and grievoussuffering too.

³ Or take someone who has had a hundred children and lived for many years, and, having reached oldage, has never enjoyed the good things of life and has not even got a tomb; it seems to me, a still-born child ishappier.

⁴ In futility it came, into darkness it departs, and in darkness will its name be buried.

⁵ It has never so much as seen or known the sun; al the same, it wil rest more easily than that person,

⁶ who would never have known the good things of life, even by living a thousand years twice over. Do wenot al go to the same place in the end?

⁷ Al toil is for the mouth, yet the appetite is never satisfied.

⁸ What advantage has the wise over the fool? And what of the pauper who knows how to behave insociety?

⁹ Better the object seen than the sting of desire: for the latter too is futile and chasing after the wind.

¹⁰ What has been is already defined -- we know what people are: They cannot bring to justice one who isstronger than themselves.

¹¹ The more we say, the more futile it is: what good can we derive from it?

¹² And who knows what is best for someone during life, during the days of futile life which are spent like ashadow? Who can tel anyone what wil happen after him under the sun?