Ecclesiastes 6

1There is also another evil, which I have seen under the sun, and that frequent among men:

2A man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and honour, and his soul wanteth nothing of all that he desireth: yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it up. This is vanity and a great misery.

3If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, and attain to a great age, and his soul make no use of the goods of his substance, and he be without burial: of this man I pronounce, that the untimely born is better than he.

4For he came in vain, and goeth to darkness, and his name shall be wholly forgotten.

5He hath not seen the sun, nor known the distance of good and evil:

6Although he lived two thousand years, and hath not enjoyed good things: do not all make haste to one place?

7All the labour of man is for his mouth, but his soul shall not be filled.

8What hath the wise man more than the fool? and what the poor man, but to go thither, where there is life?

9Better it is to see what thou mayst desire, than to desire that which thou canst not know. But this also is vanity, and presumption of spirit.

10He that shall be, his name is already called: and it is known, that he is a man, and cannot contend in judgment with him that is stronger than himself.

11There are many words that have much vanity in disputing.

1Est et aliud malum quod vidi sub sole, et quidem frequens apud homines :

2vir cui dedit Deus divitias, et substantiam, et honorem, et nihil deest animæ suæ ex omnibus quæ desiderat; nec tribuit ei potestatem Deus ut comedat ex eo, sed homo extraneus vorabit illud : hoc vanitas et miseria magna est.

3Si genuerit quispiam centum liberos, et vixerit multos annos, et plures dies ætatis habuerit, et anima illius non utatur bonis substantiæ suæ, sepulturaque careat : de hoc ergo pronuntio quod melior illo sit abortivus.

4Frustra enim venit, et pergit ad tenebras, et oblivione delebitur nomen ejus.

5Non vidit solem, neque cognovit distantiam boni et mali.

6Etiam si duobus millibus annis vixerit, et non fuerit perfruitus bonis, nonne ad unum locum properant omnia?

7Omnis labor hominis in ore ejus; sed anima ejus non implebitur.

8Quid habet amplius sapiens a stulto? et quid pauper, nisi ut pergat illuc ubi est vita?

9Melius est videre quod cupias, quam desiderare quod nescias. Sed et hoc vanitas est, et præsumptio spiritus.

10Qui futurus est, jam vocatum est nomen ejus; et scitur quod homo sit, et non possit contra fortiorem se in judicio contendere.

11Verba sunt plurima, multamque in disputando habentia vanitatem.

12Quid necesse est homini majora se quærere, cum ignoret quid conducat sibi in vita sua, numero dierum peregrinationis suæ, et tempore quod velut umbra præterit? aut quis ei poterit indicare quod post eum futurum sub sole sit?

1ἔστιν πονηρία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ πολλή ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον

2ἀνήρ ᾧ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δόξαν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστερῶν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐπιθυμήσει καὶ οὐκ ἐξουσιάσει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος φάγεται αὐτόν τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ ἀρρωστία πονηρά ἐστιν

3ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατὸν καὶ ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται καὶ πλῆθος ὅ τι ἔσονται ἡμέραι ἐτῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης καί γε ταφὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ εἶπα ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὸ ἔκτρωμα

4ὅτι ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθεν καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται καὶ ἐν σκότει ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται

5καί γε ἥλιον οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ἀνάπαυσις τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον

6καὶ εἰ ἔζησεν χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους καὶ ἀγαθωσύνην οὐκ εἶδεν μὴ οὐκ εἰς τόπον ἕνα τὰ πάντα πορεύεται

7πᾶς μόχθος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς στόμα αὐτοῦ καί γε ἡ ψυχὴ οὐ πληρωθήσεται

8ὅτι τίς περισσεία τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄφρονα διότι ὁ πένης οἶδεν πορευθῆναι κατέναντι τῆς ζωῆς

9ἀγαθὸν ὅραμα ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπὲρ πορευόμενον ψυχῇ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος

10εἴ τι ἐγένετο ἤδη κέκληται ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγνώσθη ὅ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐ δυνήσεται τοῦ κριθῆναι μετὰ τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν

11ὅτι εἰσὶν λόγοι πολλοὶ πληθύνοντες ματαιότητα τί περισσὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ

12ὅτι τίς οἶδεν τί ἀγαθὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς ματαιότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰς ἐν σκιᾷ ὅτι τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον