What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?

All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach – yet his appetite is never satisfied!

What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.

The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.

So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

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!

Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless – like chasing the wind.

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.

A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!