So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive.

But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion.

Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.

I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.

For 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.

So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile – like chasing the wind.

I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.

It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything; they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears.

I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine (all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.

I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die.