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Ecclesiastes 4
Evangelical Heritage Version
Ecclesiastes 4
Evangelical Heritage Version
4 I looked again, and I saw all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Just look at the tears of the oppressed, who have no one to comfort them! Their violent oppressors had the upper hand, and there was no one to comfort them.
2 So I congratulate the dead, who already have died, more than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than either of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil done under the sun.
4 I also saw that all hard work and all accomplishment are the result of a person’s envy of his neighbor. This too is vapor and chasing the wind.
5 The fool idly folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better one handful with relaxation, than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.
7 I looked again and saw another example of meaningless vapor under the sun: 8 There was a single person all alone, without even a son or a brother, and there was no end to all his hard work. His eyes also were not satisfied with wealth. “So for whom am I working so hard,” he asks, “and depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is vapor and a miserable task.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. 10 If one of them falls, his companion can lift him up. Pity the person who falls and has no one else to lift him up. 11 What’s more, if two lie down, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm alone? 12 Though an attacker can overpower one person, two people together can stand up against him. A rope with three strands is not quickly snapped.
13 Better a poor but wise child than an old but foolish king, who no longer knows enough to pay attention to a warning, 14 for he came out of prison to rule as king, even though he had been born poor in the land that became his kingdom.[a] 15 I saw that all the living, all those people walking under the sun, sided with the king’s successor, the child who took his place. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. Yet people who come later will not be pleased with him. This too is vapor and chasing the wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:14 Or but the one born to be king becomes poor. The exact sequence of events in verses 13 to 16 is uncertain.
Ecclesiastes 4
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 4
New International Version
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression(A) that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.(B)
2 And I declared that the dead,(C)
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.(D)
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,(E)
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.(F)
4 And 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.(G)
5 Fools fold their hands(H)
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil(I)
and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content(J) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.