Translation
For all his days are painful and full of sorrow, and his work is vexing,
Go to footnote numbereven at night his heart does not rest.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
For his whole life is full of pain and sorrow, and his work is a source of anger and frustration; even when he lies down at night his mind does not rest but keeps mulling over his frustrating situation. This is another example of how life is like a vapor.
Footnotes
1: “his work is vexing”
Many times I have thought, “Thanks Adam and Eve, for causing all our lives to be characterized by hardship, endless work, and constant frustration.” We work hard but cannot get ahead. We take two steps forward and three steps back. We are constantly met with one setback after another, to the point that I have asked myself, “Why is life so hard?” The only answer is that all these hardships are a result of the fall of man into sin. However, if we had been there instead of Adam and Eve, we would likely have done the same thing.
2: “Does not rest”
The word used here means to “lie down.” I have expressed it simply in the translation and more fully in the paraphrase. The more stressed out we are the more tired we feel but the harder it is to sleep. To see the extent of this problem just do a quick online search for the amount of drugs sold to help people sleep.