Ecclesiastes 4–5

CHAPTER 4

The Tears of the Oppressed

¹Then I looked again at all the acts of ^aoppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had ^bno one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

²So ^aI lauded the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

³But ^abetter off than both of them is the one who never has been, who has never seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

⁴I have seen that every labor and every ^asuccess of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is ^1bvanity and striving after wind.

⁵The fool ^afolds his hands in embrace and ^bconsumes his own flesh.

⁶One hand full of rest is ^abetter than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

⁷Then I looked again at vanity under the sun.

⁸There was a certain man without a second man, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, ^ahis eyes were not satisfied with riches—“And ^bfor whom am I laboring and depriving myself of good?” This too is vanity, and it is a ^cgrievous endeavor.

⁹Two are better than one because they have good wages for their labor.

¹⁰For if ¹either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one to lift him up.

¹¹Furthermore, if two lie down together they ¹keep warm, but ^ahow can one be warm alone?

¹²And if ¹one can overpower him who is alone, two can stand against him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

¹³A ^apoor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive ¹warning.

¹⁴For he has come ^aout of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

¹⁵I have seen all the living who walk about under the sun go along with the second lad who stands in place of him.

¹⁶There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be glad with him, for this too is ^avanity and striving after wind.

CHAPTER 5

Fear God

^11aGuard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the ^bsacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.

²¹Do not be ^ahasty with your mouth or ²impulsive in your heart to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven but you are on the earth; therefore let your ^bwords be few.

³For the dream comes through abundant endeavor and the voice of a ^afool through abundant words.

⁴When you ^amake a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. ^bPay what you vow!

⁵It is ^abetter that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

⁶Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a ^amistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and wreak destruction on the work of your hands?

⁷For in many dreams and vanities are many words. Rather, ^1afear God.

The Vanity of Riches

⁸If you see ^aoppression of the poor and ^brobbery of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be ^castonished over the ¹matter; for a lofty one keeps watch over another lofty one, and there are loftier ones over them.

⁹But the advantage of the land in everything is this—a king committed to a cultivated field.

^10aHe who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its produce. This too is ¹vanity.

^11aWhen good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the success to their masters except to look on with their eyes?

¹²The sleep of the laboring man is ^asweet, whether he eats little or much; but the satisfaction of the rich man does not ¹allow him to sleep.

¹³There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: ^ariches being ¹hoarded by their master to his own evil demise.

¹⁴And those riches were lost through a bad endeavor; and he became the father of a son, but there was nothing in his hand for him.

^15aAs he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will ^bcarry nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can bring in his hand.

¹⁶This also is a sickening evil—exactly as a man came, so will he go. So ^awhat is the advantage to him who ^blabors for the wind?

¹⁷Also, all his days ^ahe eats in darkness with ^bmuch vexation, and his sickness and anger.

¹⁸Here is what I have seen to be ^agood, which is ¹beautiful: to eat, to drink, and to see good in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few days of his life which God has given him; for this is his ^bportion.

¹⁹Furthermore, as for every man to whom ^aGod has given riches and wealth, He has also ^bempowered him to eat from them and to take up his portion and be glad in his labor; this is the ^cgift of God.

²⁰For he will not remember much the days of his life because ^aGod allows ¹him to occupy himself with the gladness of his heart.