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         <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness</span></div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="content">I saw the tears of the oppressed&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="content">and they have no comforter;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="content">power was on the side of their oppressors&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="content">and they have no comforter.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.4.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.4.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">And I declared that the dead,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.4.2"><span class="content">who had already died,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.4.2"><span class="content">are happier than the living,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.4.2"><span class="content">who are still alive.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.4.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.4.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">But better than both</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.4.3"><span class="content">is the one who has never been born,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.4.3"><span class="content">who has not seen the evil</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.4.3"><span class="content">that is done under the sun.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.4.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.4.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person&#8217;s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.4.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.4.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">Fools fold their hands</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.4.5"><span class="content">and ruin themselves.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.4.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.4.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Better one handful with tranquillity</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.4.6"><span class="content">than two handfuls with toil</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.4.6"><span class="content">and chasing after the wind.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.4.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.4.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.4.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">There was a man all alone;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">he had neither son nor brother.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">There was no end to his toil,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">&#8220;For whom am I toiling,&#8221; he asked,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">&#8220;and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">This too is meaningless&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">a miserable business!</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.4.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.4.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">Two are better than one,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.4.9"><span class="content">because they have a good return for their labor:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.4.9"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.4.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">If either of them falls down,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.4.10"><span class="content">one can help the other up.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.4.10"><span class="content">But pity anyone who falls</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.4.10"><span class="content">and has no one to help them up.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.4.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.4.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.4.11"><span class="content">But how can one keep warm alone?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.4.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.4.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Though one may be overpowered,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.4.12"><span class="content">two can defend themselves.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.4.12"><span class="content">A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Advancement Is Meaningless</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.4.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.4.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.4.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.4.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king&#8217;s successor. </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.4.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.</span></span></div>
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