Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.

When a sentence is not executed at once against a crime, the human heart is encouraged to do evil.

At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness,

Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.

Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure.

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression of the king is severe upon his victim.

I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes.

Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

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.

Surely, no one knows his appointed time! Like fish that are caught in a deadly net, and like birds that are caught in a snare – just like them, all people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly.

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.

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he can do whatever he pleases.

Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.

For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.