Ecclesiastes 4:3-5

Common English Bible

³But happier than both are those who have never existed, who haven’t witnessed the terrible things that happen under the sun.

⁴I also observed that people work hard and become good at what they do only out of mutual envy. This too is pointless, just wind chasing.

⁵Fools fold their hands and eat their own flesh.

Ecclesiastes 4:3-5

New International Version

³But better than both
is the one who has never been born,^(A)
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.^(B)

⁴And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.^(C)

⁵Fools fold their hands^(D)
and ruin themselves.

Common English Bible (CEB)

New International Version (NIV)