7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,

yet their appetite is never satisfied.

8 What advantage have the wise over fools?

What do the poor gain

by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?

9 Better what the eye sees

than the roving of the appetite.

This too is meaningless,

a chasing after the wind.

7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. 8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth,

And yet the soul is not satisfied.

8 For what more has the wise man than the fool?

What does the poor man have,

Who knows how to walk before the living?

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.

This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

7 People work just to feed themselves,

but they never seem to get enough to eat.

8 In this way a wise person

is no better off than a fool.

Then, too, it does a poor person little good

to know how to get along in life.

9 It is better to see what you have

than to want more.

Wanting more is useless—

like chasing the wind.

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8 For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8 For what advantage hath the wise above the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

7 Everything that people work so hard for goes into their mouths, but their appetite is never satisfied. 

8 What advantage does a wise person have over a fool? What advantage does a poor person have in knowing how to face life? 

9 It is better to look at what is in front of you than to go looking for what you want. Even this is pointless. ⸤It’s like⸥ trying to catch the wind. 

7 All man’s labor is for his stomach,

yet the appetite is never satisfied.

8 What advantage then does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others? 9 Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

7 All human toil is for the mouth, yet the appetite is not satisfied. 8 For what advantage have the wise over fools? And what do the poor have who know how to conduct themselves before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire; this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

7 All of a man’s toil is for his mouth—

yet his appetite is never satisfied.

8 So do the wise really have an advantage over fools?

Can the poor really gain anything by knowing how to act in front of others?

9 Better to be content with what your eyes see

than for your soul to constantly crave more.

This also is vanity and chasing wind!

7 Man eats up everything he works to get.

But he is never satisfied.

8 What advantage does a wise man have

over someone who is foolish?

What does a poor man gain

by knowing how to act toward others?

9 Being satisfied with what you have

is better than always wanting more.

That doesn’t have any meaning either.

It’s like chasing the wind.

7 All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.

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

9 What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.