1. I turned myself to other things, and I saw the false accusations which are carried out under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and that there was no one to console them; and that they were not able to withstand their violence, being destitute of all help.
2. And so, I praised the dead more than the living.
3. And happier than both of these, I judged him to be, who has not yet been born, and who has not yet seen the evils which are done under the sun.
4. Again, I was contemplating all the labors of men. And I took notice that their endeavors are open to the envy of their neighbor. And so, in this, too, there is emptiness and superfluous anxiety.
5. The foolish man folds his hands together, and he consumes his own flesh, saying:
6. "A handful with rest is better than both hands filled with labors and with affliction of the soul."