8:14a There is a futility that is done on the earth:

There is a strange thing happening here upon the earth. (TLB)
-or-
Hereʼs something else on this earth that doesnʼt have any meaning. (New International Reader’s Version)

8:14b There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve,

⌊Sometimes⌋ godly people suffer like wicked people ⌊should⌋ suffer.
-or-
Bad things happen to good people, (New Century Version)

8:14c and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve.

And sometimes wicked people prosper just like godly people ⌊should⌋ prosper.
-or-
and good things happen to bad people. (New Century Version)

8:14d I say that this too is futile.

I say it is useless. (Good News Translation)
-or-
I say that even this is pointless. (God’s Word)

8:14a-d (combined)

There is something else that happens on earth that does not seem fair. Bad things should happen to bad people, and good things should happen to good people. But sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. This is not fair. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
But this is something else that is difficult to understand: Sometimes righteous people suffer in the way the wicked people deserve. And sometimes wicked people enjoy the good things that righteous people deserve. I think that this is difficult to understand. (EEB)

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