ECCLESIASTES
OR
THE PREACHER
Ecclesiastes 6 ©
In this chapter the Preacher relates the misery of stingy and covetous people, to whom God gives not an heart to use their goods, judging that riches are by no means advantageous or beneficial to them, to help them to the attainment of temporal felicity, but on the contrary that they hinder and are hurtful unto them.
THERE is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing 1for his soul of all that he desireth, yet 2God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but 3a stranger eateth 4it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
¶If a man beget an 5hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with 6good, and also that 7he have no burial; 8I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.
For 9he 10cometh in 11with vanity, and departeth in 12darkness, and his name shall be covered 13with darkness.
Moreovera he 14hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than 15the other.
¶Yea, though 16he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he 17seen no good: 18do not all go 19to one place?
All the labour of man 20is for his mouth, and 21yet the appetite is not filled.
For 22what hath the wise more than the fool? 23what hath 24the poor, 25that knoweth to walk before the living?
¶ 26Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: 27this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
28That which hath been is 29named already, and it is known 30that it is man: neither may he contend 31with him that is mightier than he.
¶Seeing 32there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
For 33who knoweth 34what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life 35which he spendeth asb a shadow? for whoc can 36tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?