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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ecclesiastes 6</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/bsb/spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/6.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc//ecclesiastes/6-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="/ecclesiastes/">Ecclesiastes</a> > Ecclesiastes 6</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/5.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 5">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 6 <a href="../ecclesiastes/7.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 7">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div align="center" id="jump2"><a href="/niv/ecclesiastes/6.htm">NIV</a> • <a href="/nlt/ecclesiastes/6.htm">NLT</a> • <a href="/esv/ecclesiastes/6.htm">ESV</a> • <a href="/kjv/ecclesiastes/6.htm">KJV</a> • <a href="/nkjv/ecclesiastes/6.htm">NKJ</a> • <a href="/nasb/ecclesiastes/6.htm">NAS</a></div><br /><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="1%" valign="top">BSB</td><td width="99%" valign="top" align="right"><a href="/parallel/ecclesiastes/6.htm" style="font-weight:normal" title="Parallel Chapters">Parallel Chapters ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><A name="2"></a><p class="hdg">The Futility of Life<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind: <A name="3"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction. <A name="4"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>A man may father a hundred children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. <A name="5"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>For a stillborn child enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity. <A name="6"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>The child, though neither seeing the sun nor knowing anything, has more rest than that man, <A name="7"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place? <A name="8"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>All a man’s labor is for his mouth, <p class="indent2"> yet his appetite is never satisfied.<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">a</a></span> <A name="9"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>What advantage, then, has the wise man over the fool? What gain comes to the poor man who knows how to conduct himself before others? <A name="10"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. <A name="11"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Whatever exists was named long ago, and what happens to a man is foreknown; but he cannot contend with one stronger than he. <A name="12"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>For the more words, the more futility—and how does that profit anyone? <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/6-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?</p><A name="fn"></a><div id="fnlink"><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:</b><br><br><span class="fnverse">7</span> <span class="footnotesbot">a</span> Hebrew <i>filled</i><span class="thin"> </span><br><br /></div><br /></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Berean Bible (<a href=http://berean.bible>www.Berean.Bible</a>) <a href=http://bereanbible.com>Berean Study Bible (BSB)</a> © 2016, 2020 by <a href=http://biblehub.com>Bible Hub</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible>Berean.Bible</a>. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Free <a href=http://berean.bible/downloads.htm>downloads</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible/licensing.htm>licensing</a> available. 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