Ecclesiastes 4:1–16

Evil Under the Sun

4^uAgain I ^vsaw all ^wthe oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had ^xno one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. ²And I ^ythought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³But ^zbetter than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

⁴Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is ^avanity¹ and a striving after wind.

⁵The fool ^bfolds his hands and ^ceats his own flesh.

^6dBetter is a handful of ^equietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

^7uAgain, I saw vanity under the sun: ⁸one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his ^feyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, ^g“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy ^hbusiness.

⁹Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, ⁱbut how can one keep warm alone? ¹²And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

¹³Better was ^ja poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how ^kto take advice. ¹⁴For he went ^lfrom prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. ¹⁵I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that² youth who was to stand in the king’s³ place. ¹⁶There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is ^mvanity and a striving after wind.