Ecclesiastes 4

¹ Again I looked and saw
all the oppression
that takes place under the sun:
the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.

² And I declared the dead,
who have already died,
more fortunate than the living,
who are still alive.

³ But better than both
is the one who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil work
that is done under the sun.

⁴ Then I saw that all toil
and all skillful work
spring from one person's envy of another.
This too is fleeting
and a chasing after wind.

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

⁶ Better one handful with tranquility
than two handfuls with toil
and a chasing after wind.

⁷ Again I saw something fleeting
under the sun:

⁸ There is one who is alone,
without a second—
no child, no sibling—
yet there is no end to all their toil,
and their eyes are never satisfied with wealth.
'For whom am I laboring,' they never ask,
'and depriving myself of good?'
This too is fleeting
and a grievous task.

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

¹⁰ For if they fall,
one will lift up the other.
But woe to the one who falls
when there is no one to lift them up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie together they keep warm,
but how can one keep warm alone?

¹² And though one may be overpowered,
two can resist.
A threefold cord
is not quickly broken.

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

¹⁴ For out of prison he came to reign,
even though in his own kingdom
he had been born poor.

¹⁵ I saw all the living
who walk about under the sun,
along with the second youth
who would stand in his place.

¹⁶ There was no end to all the people,
all those whom he led.
Yet those who come later
will not rejoice in him.
Surely this too is fleeting
and a chasing after wind.