Ecclesiastes 4
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Berean Study BibleNew Living Translation
1Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.1Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.
2So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.2So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living.
3But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.3But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.4Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
5The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.5“Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin.”
6Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.6And yet, “Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.” The Advantages of Companionship
7Again, I saw futility under the sun.7I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun.
8There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.8This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.
9Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.9Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
10For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!10If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?11Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?
12And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.12A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. The Futility of Political Power
13Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.13It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.
14For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.14Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison.
15I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.15But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him.
16There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.16Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
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Ecclesiastes 3
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