But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

“Why is light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,

So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my pains.

“Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

Cursed be the day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!

Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;

Work

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is

vanity and striving after wind.

Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord was strong on me.

Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;

Strife exists and contention arises.

For

Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was

vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.

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

Remember what my span of life is;

For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!

General references

“

Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”