How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)
Quote #4
Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let them sleep. There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands. (NRSV 5:12-14)
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. (KJV 5:12-14)
People think that it's good to be rich, and that it'll all be smooth sailing once you've clawed your way to the top. Not so, says Ecclesiastes. The fact that the rich have so much makes them worry more. Also, there's no relying on riches—they might all disappear or just cause more problems.
Quote #5
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy upon humankind: those to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that they lack nothing of all that they desire, yet God does not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous ill. A man may beget a hundred children, and live many years; but however many are the days of his years, if he does not enjoy life's good things, or has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. (NRSV 6:1-3)
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. (KJV 6:1-3)
This runs along the same lines as the last quote: the rich or fortunate aren't always so rich or so fortunate. It can all turn on a dime. It's better not to have been born than to have only had good things or a lot of things, without ever enjoying them and living in the present.
Quote #6
There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. (NRSV 8:14)
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. (KJV 8:14)
Here, Ecclesiastes questions the whole idea of justice. Although he'll also say that God will judge everyone—or progresses towards that idea—here, he seems to think it's all a crapshoot. Bad deeds might go unpunished, or actually be rewarded. And the opposite might be true for good deeds committed by good people.