What benefit can a worker ¹  gain from his toil? ² 

“Why does God ²  give ³  light to one who is in misery, ⁴  and life to those ⁵  whose soul is bitter,

In the fullness of his sufficiency, ¹  distress ²  overtakes him. the full force of misery will come upon him. ³ 

A laborer’s ¹  appetite ²  works on his behalf, ³  for his hunger ⁴  urges him to work. ⁵ 

What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? ¹ 

Her left ¹  hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. She “hammered” ²  Sisera, she shattered his skull, ³  she smashed his head, ⁴  she drove the tent peg through his temple. ⁵ 

So I loathed all the fruit of ¹  my effort, ²  for which I worked so hard ³  on earth, ⁴  because ⁵  I must leave it ⁶  behind ⁷  in the hands of my successor. ⁸ 

Enjoy ¹  life with your beloved wife ²  during all the days of your fleeting ³  life that God ⁴  has given you on earth ⁵  during all your fleeting days; ⁶  for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work ⁷  on earth. ⁸ 

A man who is all alone with no companion, ¹  he has no children nor siblings; ²  yet there is no end to all his toil, and he ³  is never satisfied with riches. He laments, ⁴  “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself ⁵  of pleasure?” ⁶  This also is futile and a burdensome task! ⁷