Ben Sira 40:1

1 Hard work was created for everyone, and a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam, from the day they come forth from their mother's womb until the day they return to the mother of all the living.

Ben Sira 40:1 In-Context

1 Hard work was created for everyone, and a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam, from the day they come forth from their mother's womb until the day they return to the mother of all the living.

2 Perplexities and fear of heart are theirs, and anxious thought of the day of their death.

3 From the one who sits on a splendid throne to the one who grovels in dust and ashes,

4 from the one who wears purple and a crown to the one who is clothed in burlap,

5 there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest, and fear of death, and fury and strife. And when one rests upon his bed, his sleep at night confuses his mind.

Footnotes

• [a] Other Gk and Lat authorities read [are buried in]
• [b] Heb: Gk [of all]