Ecc4:1 The Uselessness of Selfish Toil Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter-- On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter.
Ecc4:2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, More than the living who are still alive.
Ecc4:3 Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.The Vanity of Selfish Toil
Ecc4:4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecc4:5 The fool folds his hands And consumes his own flesh.
Ecc4:6 Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
Ecc4:7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
Ecc4:8 There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. The Value of a Friend
Ecc4:9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.
Ecc4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.
Ecc4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?
Ecc4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Popularity Passes Away
Ecc4:13 Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
Ecc4:14 For he comes out of prison to be king, Although he was born poor in his kingdom.
Ecc4:15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
Ecc4:16 There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.