Ecclesiastes 4

1 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.

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.

2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.

Thereupon praised I the dead that are already dead, more than the living who are still alive;

3 And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.

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.—

4 And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.

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.

5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:

The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”

Better is a handful of quiet, than both the hands full of toil and torture of spirit.

7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:

Then I turned about, and I saw a vanity under the sun.

8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.

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.

9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.

Two are better than one; because they will have a good reward for their toil.

10 For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!

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.

11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?

Also, if two lie together, then will they become warm; but how can one person alone become warm?

12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.

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.

13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.

Better is a poor and a wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to be admonished any more.

14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.

For out of the prison cometh the one to reign: whereas also in his kingdom the other becometh poor.

15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;

I have seen all the living who walk under the sun, being with the second child that is to stand up in his stead.

16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.

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.—