Ecclesiastes 4

¹And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors `is' power, and they have no comforter.

²And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.

³And better than both of them `is' he who hath not yet been, in that he hath not seen the evil work that hath been done under the sun.

⁴And 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.

⁵The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:

⁶`Better `is' a handful `with' quietness, than two handfuls `with' labour and vexation of spirit.'

⁷And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:

⁸There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and `he saith not', `For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.

⁹The two `are' better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labour.

¹⁰For if they fall, the one raiseth up his companion, but wo to the one who falleth and there is not a second to raise him up!

¹¹Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how hath one heat?

¹²And if the one strengthen himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not hastily broken.

¹³Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who hath not known to be warned any more.

¹⁴For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor.

¹⁵I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who doth stand in his place;

¹⁶there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.