1
Much labor was created for every man, and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day they come forth from their mother's womb till the day they return to the mother of all.
2
Their perplexities and fear of heart -- their anxious thought is the day of death,
3
from the man who sits on a splendid throne to the one who is humbled in dust and ashes,
4
from the man 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.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.