Ecclesiastes 4

¹Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun . And behold , the tears of the oppressed , and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power , and there was no one to comfort them.

²And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive .

³But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun .

⁴Then 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 .

⁵The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh .

⁶Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind .

⁷Again , I saw vanity under the sun :

⁸one person who has no other , either son or brother , yet there is no end to all his toil , and his eyes are never satisfied with riches , so that he never asks, For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure ? This also is vanity and an unhappy business .

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

¹⁰For if they fall , one will lift up his fellow . But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

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

¹²And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken .

¹³Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice .

¹⁴For he went from prison to the throne , though in his own kingdom he had been born poor .

¹⁵I saw all the living who move about under the sun , along with that youth who was to stand in the place .

¹⁶There was no end of all the people , all of whom he led . Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind .