Ecclesiastes 4

1Again I saw all the oppressions
that are done under the sun.

And look: the tears of the oppressed,
and they have no comforter;
power is in the hand of their oppressors,
and they have no comforter.

2So I praised the dead,
who have already died,
more than the living,
who are still alive.

3Better than both is the one who has not yet been—
who has not seen the evil work
that is done under the sun.

4And I saw all toil
and every skill in work:
it is the envy of one person for another.

This too is vapor
and a pursuit of wind.

5The fool folds his hands
and consumes his own flesh.

6Better one handful with rest
than two handfuls with toil
and a pursuit of wind.

7Again I saw vapor
under the sun:

8There is one person, and no second;
they have neither son nor brother,
yet there is no end to all their toil,
and their eyes are never satisfied with wealth.

“For whom, then, am I toiling
and depriving myself of good?”

This too is vapor
and an evil task.

9Two are better than one,
because they have a good reward
for their toil.

10For if they fall,
one will raise up the other.
But woe to the one who falls
and has no second to raise them up.

11Again, if two lie down together, they are warm;
but how can one be warm alone?

12If someone overpowers one,
two can stand against that person.
And a threefold cord
is not quickly torn apart.

13Better a poor and wise youth
than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to take warning.

14For from a prison house he came out to reign,
though even in his kingdom he was born poor.

15I saw all the living
who walk under the sun
with the second youth
who stands in his place.

16There was no end to all the people,
to all who were before them.
Yet those who come later
will not rejoice in him.

Surely this too is vapor
and a pursuit of wind.

17Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.
To draw near in order to listen is better
than for fools to offer sacrifice,
for they do not know that they are doing evil.