CHAPTER 6
God
gives
a man
riches,
wealth,
and honor,
so that he lacks
nothing
his heart
desires;
but God
does not
allow
him to enjoy them.
Instead,
a stranger
will enjoy them.
This
is futile
and a grievous
evil.
A man
may father
a hundred children
and live
for many
years;
yet no matter how long
he lives,
if he
is unsatisfied
with
his prosperity
and does not
even
receive a proper burial,
I say
that a stillborn child
is better off
than he.
if
he lives
a thousand
years
twice over,
but fails to
enjoy
his prosperity.
Do not
all
go
to
the same
place?
What
advantage,
then,
has the wise man
over
the fool?
What gain comes
to the poor man
who knows
how to conduct
himself before
others?
Better
what the eye
can see
than the wandering
of desire.
This
too
is futile
and a pursuit
of the wind.
Whatever
exists
was named
long ago,
and what happens
to a man
is foreknown;
but he
cannot
contend
with
one stronger
than he.
For
who
knows
what
is good
for a man
during the few
days
he passes through
his fleeting
life
like a shadow?
Who
can tell
a man
what
will come
after him
under
the sun?