וְשַׁבְתִּי אֲנִי וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת־כָּל־הָעֲשׁוּקִים אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשִׂים תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ וְהִנֵּה דִּמְעַת הָעֲשׁוּקִים וְאֵין לָהֶם מְנַחֵם וּמִיַּד עֹשְׁקֵיהֶם כֹחַ וְאֵין לָהֶם מְנַחֵם

I again considered time after time the events of the world, and I saw all the exploited, the victims of corrupt deeds, who are afflicted under the sun, in the world. Behold the tear of the exploited, but there is no comforter for them, and duress from their exploiters but there is no comforter for them. The world is full of evil and pain.

וְשַׁבֵּחַ אֲנִי אֶת־הַמֵּתִים שֶׁכְּבָר מֵתוּ מִן־הַחַיִּים אֲשֶׁר הֵמָּה חַיִּים עֲדֶנָה

I praise and prefer the dead who are already dead, or, alternatively, I favor them because they have already died, more than the living who are still alive, as the dead no longer suffer from the troubles of this world, whereas the living are surrounded by a life of iniquity.

וְטוֹב מִשְּׁנֵיהֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עֲדֶן לֹא הָיָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־רָאָה אֶת־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הָרָע אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ

Better than both of them, the living and the dead, is he who has not yet been, one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil action that is performed under the sun. The impression of evil remains upon the dead, and the living experience it, whereas evil has no effect on those not yet born.

וְרָאִיתִי אֲנִי אֶת־כָּל־עָמָל וְאֵת כָּל־כִּשְׁרוֹן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה כִּי הִיא קִנְאַת־אִישׁ מֵרֵעֵהוּ גַּם־זֶה הֶבֶל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ

I saw all toil and all skilled action, that it is motivated by each man’s envy of his counterpart. One’s talents and success often arouse jealousy among others, but this too, the envy of another’s property and abilities, is futility and herding wind.

הַכְּסִיל חֹבֵק אֶת־יָדָיו וְאֹכֵל אֶת־בְּשָׂרוֹ

On the one hand, the fool folds his hands in his lap, as he does not work and therefore lacks support and food, and ultimately eats his own flesh. His flesh is consumed, and he dies of hunger. Alternatively, he is ashamed due to frustration and inactivity.

טוֹב מְלֹא כַף נָחַת מִמְּלֹא חָפְנַיִם עָמָל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ

On the other hand, a handful of tranquility is better than two handfuls of toil and herding wind, of hard yet futile labor.

וְשַׁבְתִּי אֲנִי וָאֶרְאֶה הֶבֶל תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ

I returned to contemplate the world, and I again saw that devotion to toil and diligence is futility under the sun.

יֵשׁ אֶחָד וְאֵין שֵׁנִי גַּם בֵּן וָאָח אֵין־לוֹ וְאֵין קֵץ לְכָל־עֲמָלוֹ גַּם־עֵינוֹ לֹא־תִשְׂבַּע עֹשֶׁר וּלְ מִי אֲנִי עָמֵל ומְחַסֵּר אֶת־נַפְשִׁי מִטּוֹבָה גַּם־זֶה הֶבֶל וְעִנְיַן רָע הוּא

For example, there is one and no other with him, or he chooses not to involve others in his activities, without even a son or a brother. There is no end to all his toil, and his eye is not satisfied with riches, as he constantly desires more. This person may well ask himself: For whom then do I toil, if I need not support anyone other than myself, and for what purpose do I deny good from my soul with my hard work? This too is futility and a grave concern.

טוֹבִים הַשְּׁנַיִם מִן־הָאֶחָד אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ־לָהֶם שָׂכָר טוֹב בַּעֲמָלָם

In contrast, there are good reasons to engage in joint efforts: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. Two people who work together can earn a greater profit than the sum of their solitary efforts.

כִּי אִם־יִפֹּלוּ הָאֶחָד יָקִים אֶת־חֲבֵרוֹ וְאִילוֹ הָאֶחָד שֶׁיִּפֹּל וְאֵין שֵׁנִי לַהֲקִימוֹ

The benefits to such a partnership go beyond the financial: For if they fall, one will raise the other; and the one who falls, there is no other to raise him.

גַּם אִם־יִשְׁכְּבוּ שְׁנַיִם וְחַם לָהֶם וּלְאֶחָד אֵיךְ יֵחָם

Also, there is another advantage: If two lie together, at the very least it is warm for them, as they will provide each other with heat; but for one alone, how will he be warm? Who will warm him?

וְאִם יִתְקְפוֹ הָאֶחָד הַשְּׁנַיִם יַעַמְדוּ נֶגְדּוֹ וְהַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק

If the one is attacked, both will stand against it. If someone attacks one of two, neither will stand alone against the attacker. And a threefold thread is not quickly severed. Intertwined threads are stronger than individual strands, and likewise a group of three is superior to a pair.

טוֹב יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן וְחָכָם מִמֶּלֶךְ זָקֵן וּכְסִיל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע לְהִזָּהֵר עוֹד

One might think that the end that justifies the means of hard work is the bequeathing of the fruit of his toil to future generations. However, the future is not in his control, and the profit garnered from his labor guarantees nothing: Better an impoverished but wise child with nothing than an old and foolish king with everything but who no longer knows to be cautious. Wisdom involves caution and potential success, whereas a fool, even if he is a king, is liable to act impulsively and fail.

כִּי מִבֵּית הָסוּרִים יָצָא לִמְלֹךְ כִּי גַּם בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ נוֹלַד רָשׁ

For he, a foolish king, is comparable to someone who was released and emerged from prison to become king, as he lacks the requisite tools to rule a kingdom. For even in his reign he is revealed as poor, as he is lacking in knowledge as well as leadership skills.

רָאִיתִי אֶת־כָּל־הַחַיִּים הַמְהַלְּכִים תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ עִם הַיֶּלֶד הַשֵּׁנִי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹד תַּחְתָּיו

I saw all the living people, who walk under the sun, with the child, the successor, who will stand in his stead. Their hopes were placed in their children, as each generation invests great effort in the succeeding one, hoping that it will be more successful than its predecessor.

אֵין־קֵץ לְכָל־הָעָם לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה לִפְנֵיהֶם גַּם הָאַחֲרוֹנִים לֹא יִשְׂמְחוּ־בוֹ כִּי־גַם־זֶה הֶבֶל וְרַעְיוֹן רוּחַ

Indeed, there is no end to the entire people, to all those, all generations, who were before them, who lived in the past, and also the later ones, the generations that will come after; they will not rejoice in him, the child from whom the present generation have great expectations. As this too, the expectation and hope in the succession of the generations, is futility and an empty notion.

שְׁמוֹר רַגְלְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ אֶל־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים וקָרוֹב לִשְׁמֹעַ מִתֵּת הַכְּסִילִים זָבַח כִּי אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע

Watching your step, being cautious, when you go to the House of God, keeping in mind the purpose of your visit, and listening attentively to the Torah and its commandments, is better than fools giving offerings, for in their imprudence they do not even know how to perform evil. Some explain that they know only to perform evil, or that they are unaware that what they have done is evil, or that fools bring offerings erroneously thinking that it can somehow exonerate them of their evil doings.