8 If thou seest violence unto the poor and the extortion of rights and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for height is looking upon height; and there is one higher than they. 9 And there is higher authority in all of the things of the earth, but he who serves the field is king.
10 He that loves money shall not be satisfied with money; nor he that loves abundance with increase; this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, those that eat them are increased; and what good is there to the owners thereof, except the beholding of them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of the servant is sweet whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
13 There is another sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt; 14 which are lost by evil pursuits and to the sons which he has begotten; there is nothing left in his hand. 15 As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a sore evil; that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what profit has he that has laboured for the wind? 17 In addition to this, all the days of his life he shall eat in darkness, with much wrath and pain and sorrow sickness.
18 Behold therefore the good which I have seen: that good is to eat and to drink and to enjoy of the good of all his labour that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him; for it is his portion. 19 Likewise, unto every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also given him power to eat thereof and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. 20 To such a one, God will remove the concerns common to others, for God shall answer him with joy from his heart.
1 There is another evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is very common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honour so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but the strangers eat it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. 3 If a man begets a hundred sons and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, if his soul is not filled with good and also that he have no burial; I say that an aborted birth is better than he. 4 For he came in vain and departs unto darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. 5 Even though he has not seen the sun nor known any thing; this one has more rest than the other. 6 For though the other should live a thousand years twice and has not enjoyed good; both shall surely go to the same place.
7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and with all this the appetite is not filled. 8 For what has the wise more than the fool? what more has the poor that knows how to walk among the living? 9 It is better to enjoy the good that is present than the wandering of desire; this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
10 He that is has been named already; and it is known that he is man and that he shall not be able to contend with him that is mightier than he. 11 Certainly the many words multiply vanity, what more does man have? 12 For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of the life of his vanity which he causes to be as a shadow? for who shall teach the man what shall be after him under the sun?