Ecclesiastes 4
4
1Then I returned and considered all the #Job 35:9; Ps. 12:5; Eccl. 3:16; 5:8; Is. 5:7oppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.
2#Job 3:17, 18Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
3#Job 3:11–22; Eccl. 6:3; Luke 23:29Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
The Vanity of Selfish Toil
4Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
5#Prov. 6:10; 24:33The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
6#Prov. 15:16, 17; 16:8Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
7Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
8There is one alone, without companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his #Prov. 27:20; Eccl. 5:10; (1 John 2:16)eye satisfied with riches.
But #Ps. 39:6he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of #Eccl. 2:18–21good?”
This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.
The Value of a Friend
9Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Popularity Passes Away
13Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
14For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although he was born poor in his kingdom.
15I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
16There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
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Ecclesiastes 4: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 4
4
Is It Better to Be Dead?
1Again I saw all the people who were mistreated here on earth.
I saw their tears
and that they had no one to comfort them.
Cruel people had all the power,
and there was no one to comfort those they hurt.
2I decided that the dead
are better off than the living.
3But those who have never been born
are better off still;
they have not seen the evil
that is done here on earth.
Why Work So Hard?
4I realized the reason people work hard and try to succeed: They are jealous of each other. This, too, is useless, like chasing the wind.
5Some say it is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing,
because you will starve to death.
6Maybe so, but I say it is better to be content
with what little you have.
Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more,
and that is like chasing the wind.
7Again I saw something here on earth that was useless:
8I saw a man who had no family,
no son or brother.
He always worked hard
but was never satisfied with what he had.
He never asked himself, “For whom am I working so hard?
Why don’t I let myself enjoy life?”
This also is very sad and useless.
Friends and Family Give Strength
9Two people are better than one,
because they get more done by working together.
10If one falls down,
the other can help him up.
But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls,
because no one is there to help.
11If two lie down together, they will be warm,
but a person alone will not be warm.
12An enemy might defeat one person,
but two people together can defend themselves;
a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break.
Fame and Power Are Useless
13A poor but wise boy is better than a foolish but old king who doesn’t listen to advice. 14A boy became king. He had been born poor in the kingdom and had even gone to prison before becoming king. 15I watched all the people who live on earth follow him and make him their king. 16Many followed him at first, but later, they did not like him, either. So fame and power are useless, like chasing the wind.
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