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Ecclesiastes 4:4
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KJ21
Again, I considered all travail and every right work for which a man is envied by his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
ASV
Then I saw all labor and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
AMP
I have seen that every [effort in] labor and every skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This too is vanity (futility, false pride) and chasing after the wind.
AMPC
Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it.
BRG
¶ Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
CSB
I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
CSBA
I saw that all labour and all skilful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
CEB
I 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.
CJB
Next I realized that all effort and achievement stem from one person’s envy of another. This too is futility and feeding on wind.
CEV
Then I realized that we work and do wonderful things just because we are jealous of others. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind.
DARBY
And I saw all labour, and all success of work, that it is man's jealousy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
DRA
Again I considered all the labours of men, and I remarked that their industries are exposed to the envy of their neighhour: so in this also there is vanity, and fruitless care.
ERV
Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.
EASY
I also thought about the clever work that people do. I saw that people work hard because they are jealous of each other. They want to do better than other people. I realized that this has no purpose. It is like somebody who tries to catch the wind.
EHV
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.
ESV
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
ESVUK
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
EXB
I ·realized [saw; observed] the reason people ·work hard [toil] and try to succeed: They are jealous of ·each other [L their neighbors]. This, too, is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind.
GNV
Also I beheld all travail, and all perfection of works, that this is the envy of a man against his neighbor: this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
GW
Then I saw that all hard work and skillful effort come from rivalry. Even this is pointless. ⌞It’s like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
GNT
I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
HCSB
I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a man’s jealousy of his friend. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
ICB
I realized the reason people work hard and try to succeed: They are jealous of each other. This, too, is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
ISV
Then I examined all sorts of work, including all kinds of excellent achievements that create envy in others. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.
JUB
¶ Again, I considered all travail and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
KJV
Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
AKJV
Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
LSB
I have seen that every labor and every success of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
LEB
I also realized that all of the toil and all of the skillful work that is done—it is envy between one man and another. This also is vanity and chasing wind!
TLB
Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, chasing the wind.
MSG
Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a waste! Smoke. And spitting into the wind.
MEV
Then I saw that all toil and every skillful work come from one man’s envy of another. This also is vanity and like chasing the wind.
NOG
Then I saw that all hard work and skillful effort come from rivalry. Even this is pointless. It’s like trying to catch the wind.
NABRE
Then I saw that all toil and skillful work is the rivalry of one person with another. This also is vanity and a chase after wind.
NASB
I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is futility and striving after wind.
NASB1995
I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
NCB
Then I came to realize that all toil and skill in work derive from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind.
NCV
I realized the reason people work hard and try to succeed: They are jealous of each other. This, too, is useless, like chasing the wind.
NET
Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless—like chasing the wind.
NIRV
I also saw that a person works hard and accomplishes a lot. But they do it only because they want what another person has. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.
NIV
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.
NIVUK
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.
NKJV
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.
NLV
I have seen that all the work done is because a man wants what his neighbor has. This also is for nothing, like trying to catch the wind.
NLT
Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
NRSVA
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
NRSVACE
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
NRSVCE
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
NRSVUE
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
OJB
Again, I considered all amal, and every kishron hama’aseh (skillful achievement), that such is a simple derivative of kinat ish meirei’eihu (the envy of man of his neighbor). This also is hevel, a chasing after ruach.
RGT
Also I beheld all work, and all perfection of work, and that this is the envy of a man against his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping at the wind.
RSV
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
RSVCE
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
TLV
Then I saw that all toil and all skill that is done come from man’s envy of his neighbor; this too is fleeting and striving after the wind.
VOICE
Teacher: Then I saw yet another thing: envy fuels achievement. All the work and skills people develop come from their desire to be better than their neighbors. Even this is fleeting, like trying to embrace the wind.
WEB
Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
WYC
Again I beheld all the travails of men, and busynesses; and I perceived that those be open to [the] envy of the neighbour; and therefore in this is vanity (and so this is emptiness and futility), and superfluous busyness.
YLT
And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.; Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International ; King James Version (KJV) Public Domain; Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.; Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.; Lexham English Bible (LEB) 2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software; Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. 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