## The Vanity of Life 

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There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men-- 

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a man to whom God gives riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God does not empower him to eat from them, for a foreigner eats from them. This is vanity and a sickening evil. 

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If a man becomes the father of one hundred _children_ and lives many years, however many the days of his years may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things, and he does not even have a _proper_ burial, _then_ I say, "Better the miscarriage than he, 

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for _that_ one comes in vanity and goes into darkness; and _that_ one's name is covered in darkness. 

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Indeed, _that_ one never sees the sun and never knows _anything_; _that_ one has more rest than he. 

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Even if the _other_ man lives one thousand years twice and does not see good things--do not all go to the same place?" 

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All a man's labor is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not fulfilled. 

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For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What _advantage_ does the afflicted man have, knowing _how_ to walk before the living? 

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What the eyes see is better than what the soul goes after. This too is vanity and striving after wind. 

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Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; and he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. 

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For there are many words which increase vanity. What _then_ is the advantage to a man? 

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For who knows what is good for a man during _his_ lifetime, _during_ the few days of his vain life? He will make do with them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?