So I came to hate life..

.. because everything done here under the sun is so troubling.

The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race.
The strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle.
The wise sometimes go hungry.
The skillful are not necessarily wealthy.
And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives.
It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them.
The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.
I am not surprised when I see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful,
And if justice is being miscarried throughout the land.
For every official is under orders from higher up,
And matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.

People and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die.
Anything I wanted, I would take.
I denied myself no pleasure.
Everything has already been decided.
It was known long ago what each person would be.
So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

I came to hate all my hard work here on earth,
For I must leave to others everything I have earned.
And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish?
Most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors.
Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost.
Meaningless - everything is meaningless! Completely meaningless!
Like chasing the wind.

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have.
God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.

Enjoy prosperity while you can,
But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities.
Fear God instead.
Here now is my final conclusion:
Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.

Solomon, 1011BC.
In Ecclesiastes (New Living Translation).

PS. Rearranged the orders a little. Merely a pick-out-straight-from-text the particular verses that jumped out at me, with no intentions to tweak dear ol' Sol's well meanings. Juuuuuust in case it invokes a theological debate over the rightness of the order :)