Ecclesiastes 4
1 And I turned about, and beheld all the oppressed that are made so under the sun: and, behold, there are the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and from the hand of their oppressors they suffer violence; and they have no comforter.
And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
2 Thereupon praised I the dead that are already dead, more than the living who are still alive;
And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
3 And as happier than both of them, him who hath not yet come into being, who hath not seen the evil-doing that is done under the sun.—
And better than both of them [is] he who hath not yet been, in that he hath not seen the evil work that hath been done under the sun.
4 Again, I beheld all the toil, and all the energy in doing, that it is [from] the envy of one man of his neighbor. Also this is vanity and a torture of the spirit.
And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
6 Better is a handful of quiet, than both the hands full of toil and torture of spirit.
'Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labour and vexation of spirit.'
7 Then I turned about, and I saw a vanity under the sun.
And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
8 There is one alone, and he hath not a companion; yea, he hath neither son nor brother: yet is there no end to all his toil; his eye also is not satisfied with riches. Yet for whom do I toil, and deprive my soul of good? Also this is vanity, yea, it is a bad employment.
There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he saith not], 'For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
9 Two are better than one; because they will have a good reward for their toil.
The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to the single one that falleth; for he hath no companion to lift him up.
For if they fall, the one raiseth up his companion, but woe to the one who falleth and there is not a second to raise him up!
11 Also, if two lie together, then will they become warm; but how can one person alone become warm?
Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how hath one heat?
12 And if a man could overpower him, the single one, two would stand up against him: and a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn asunder.
And if the one strengthen himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not hastily broken.
13 Better is a poor and a wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to be admonished any more.
Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who hath not known to be warned any more.
14 For out of the prison cometh the one to reign: whereas also in his kingdom the other becometh poor.
For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor.
15 I have seen all the living who walk under the sun, being with the second child that is to stand up in his stead.
I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who doth stand in his place;
16 There was no end to all the people, [belonging] to all that have been before them: they also that come after will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a torture of the spirit.—
there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
