Previous Chapter Full Page Full Page Next Chapter

Ecclesiastes 6 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

The Futility of Life

Ecc 6:1

Ecc 6:1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent [fn]among men—

Ecc 6:2

Ecc 6:2a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner [fn]enjoys them. This is [fn]vanity and a severe affliction.

Ecc 6:3

Ecc 6:3If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many [fn]they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he,

Ecc 6:4

Ecc 6:4for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity.

Ecc 6:5

Ecc 6:5“It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; [fn]it is better off than he.

Ecc 6:6

Ecc 6:6“Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not [fn]enjoy good things—do not all go to one place?”

Ecc 6:7

Ecc 6:7All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the [fn]appetite is not [fn]satisfied.

Ecc 6:8

Ecc 6:8For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?

Ecc 6:9

Ecc 6:9What the eyes see is better than what the soul [fn]desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.

Ecc 6:10

Ecc 6:10Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

Ecc 6:11

Ecc 6:11For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

Ecc 6:12

Ecc 6:12For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few [fn]years of his futile life? He will [fn]spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?
See the NASB95 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NASB95 Footnotes
Literally: upon
Literally: eats from them
Or, futility
Literally: the days of his years
Literally: more rest has this one than that
Literally: see
Literally: soul
Literally: filled
Literally: goes after
Literally: days
Literally: do
Translation Copyright Logo

New American Standard Bible 1995
Copyright (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
All rights reserved
https://www.lockman.org/new-american-standard-bible-nasb/

The "NASB," "NAS," "New American Standard Bible," and "New American Standard" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by The Lockman Foundation. Use of these trademarks requires the permission of The Lockman Foundation.

For Permission To Quote visit http://www.lockman.org

For more information on this translation, see the NASB95 Preface.

Translations available: King James Version, New King James Version, New Living Translation, New International Version, English Standard Version, Christian Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible 2020, New American Standard Bible 1995, Legacy Standard Bible 2021, New English Translation, Revised Standard Version, American Standard Version, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Translation, Webster's Bible, Hebrew Names Version, Reina-Valera 1960, Latin Vulgate, Westminster Leningrad Codex, Septuagint, Morphological Greek New Testament, and Textus Receptus.