| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people: | 1There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. |
| 2God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor--instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune. | 2God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy. |
| 3Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years--even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity--even if he were to live forever--I would say, "A stillborn child is better off than he is!" | 3A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. |
| 4Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness, though its name is shrouded in darkness, | 4His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, |
| 5though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything, yet it has more rest than that man-- | 5and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. |
| 6if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die! | 6He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use? |
| 7All of man's labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach--yet his appetite is never satisfied! | 7All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. |
| 8So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive? | 8So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others? |
| 9It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one's heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile--like chasing the wind. | 9Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. The Future—Determined and Unknown |
| 10Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is. | 10Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny. |
| 11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him? | 11The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they? |
| 12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life--during the few days of his fleeting life--for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth. | 12In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone? |
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