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Ecclesiastes chapter 6 in Hebrew and English

12 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

יֵשׁ רָעָה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ וְרַבָּה הִיא עַל־הָאָדָֽם׃

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִתֶּן־לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד וְאֵינֶנּוּ חָסֵר לְנַפְשׁוֹ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִתְאַוֶּה וְלֹא־יַשְׁלִיטֶנּוּ הָאֱלֹהִים לֶאֱכֹל מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי אִישׁ נָכְרִי יֹאכֲלֶנּוּ זֶה הֶבֶל וָחֳלִי רָע הֽוּא׃

a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

אִם־יוֹלִיד אִישׁ מֵאָה וְשָׁנִים רַבּוֹת יִחְיֶה וְרַב שֶׁיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי־שָׁנָיו וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא־תִשְׂבַּע מִן־הַטּוֹבָה וְגַם־קְבוּרָה לֹא־הָיְתָה לּוֹ אָמַרְתִּי טוֹב מִמֶּנּוּ הַנָּֽפֶל׃

If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul have not enough of good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he;

כִּי־בַהֶבֶל בָּא וּבַחֹשֶׁךְ יֵלֵךְ וּבַחֹשֶׁךְ שְׁמוֹ יְכֻסֶּֽה׃

for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

גַּם־שֶׁמֶשׁ לֹא־רָאָה וְלֹא יָדָע נַחַת לָזֶה מִזֶּֽה׃

moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath gratification rather than the other;

וְאִלּוּ חָיָה אֶלֶף שָׁנִים פַּעֲמַיִם וְטוֹבָה לֹא רָאָה הֲלֹא אֶל־מָקוֹם אֶחָד הַכֹּל הוֹלֵֽךְ׃

yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and enjoy no good; do not all go to one place?

כָּל־עֲמַל הָאָדָם לְפִיהוּ וְגַם־הַנֶּפֶשׁ לֹא תִמָּלֵֽא׃

All the labour of man is for his mouth, And yet the appetite is not filled.

כִּי מַה־יוֹתֵר לֶחָכָם מִן־הַכְּסִיל מַה־לֶּעָנִי יוֹדֵעַ לַהֲלֹךְ נֶגֶד הַחַיִֽים׃

For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or the poor man that hath understanding, in walking before the living?

טוֹב מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם מֵהֲלָךְ־נָפֶשׁ גַּם־זֶה הֶבֶל וּרְעוּת רֽוּחַ׃

Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire; this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה כְּבָר נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ וְנוֹדָע אֲשֶׁר־הוּא אָדָם וְלֹא־יוּכַל לָדִין עִם שֶׁתַּקִּיף מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

Whatsoever cometh into being, the name thereof was given long ago, and it is foreknown what man is; neither can he contend with Him that is mightier than he.

כִּי יֵשׁ־דְּבָרִים הַרְבֵּה מַרְבִּים הָבֶל מַה־יֹּתֵר לָאָדָֽם׃

Seeing there are many words that increase vanity, what is man the better?

כִּי מִי־יוֹדֵעַ מַה־טּוֹב לָאָדָם בַּחַיִּים מִסְפַּר יְמֵי־חַיֵּי הֶבְלוֹ וְיַעֲשֵׂם כַּצֵּל אֲשֶׁר מִי־יַגִּיד לָאָדָם מַה־יִּהְיֶה אַחֲרָיו תַּחַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 6 of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes
  • Ecclesiastes is one of the Writings
  • 12 verses, 170 words, about 2 minutes to read

Ecclesiastes has 12 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Ecclesiastes·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Ecclesiastes chapter 6 have?

Ecclesiastes chapter 6 has 12 verses and 170 words.

How does Ecclesiastes chapter 6 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words יש רעה אשר ראיתי.

Where does Ecclesiastes chapter 6 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 6 of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Ecclesiastes chapter 6?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.