Ecclesiastes 4New King James Version
The Uselessness of Selfish Toil
4 Then I returned and considered all the(A)oppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
[a]On the side of their oppressorsthere ispower,
But they have no comforter.
2 (B)Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
3 (C)Yet, better than bothis hewho has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
The Vanity of Selfish Toil
4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.
5 (D)The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
6 (E)Better a handfulwithquietness
Than both hands full,together withtoil and grasping for the wind.
7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
8 There is one alone, without[b]companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yetthere isno end to all his labors,
Nor is his(F)eye satisfied with riches.
But(G)he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of(H)good?”
This alsoisvanity and a[c]grave misfortune.
The Value of a Friend
9 Twoarebetter than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to himwho isalone when he falls,
Forhe hasno one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warmalone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Popularity Passes Away
13 Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
14 For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although[d]he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
16 There wasno end of all the people[e]over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:1Lit.At the hand
- Ecclesiastes 4:8Lit.a second
- Ecclesiastes 4:8Lit.evil task
- Ecclesiastes 4:14The youth
- Ecclesiastes 4:16Lit.to all before whom he was to be
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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