King James Version › Ecclesiastes › 4

Ecclesiastes

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1 So I re­turned, and con­sid­ered all the op­pres­sions that are done un­der the sun: and be­hold the tears of ­such as were op­pressed, and they had no com­forter; and on the side of their op­pres­sors there was pow­er; but they had no com­forter. 2 Where­fore I praised the dead which are al­ready dead more than the liv­ing which are yet alive. 3 Yea, bet­ter is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done un­der the sun. 4 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. 5 The fool fold­eth his hands to­geth­er, and eateth his own flesh. 6 Bet­ter is an hand­ful with quiet­ness, than both the hands full with tra­vail and vex­a­tion of spir­it. 7 Then I re­turned, and I saw van­i­ty un­der the sun. 8 There is one alone, and there is not a sec­ond; yea, he hath nei­ther child nor broth­er: yet is there no end of all his labour; nei­ther is his eye sat­is­fied with rich­es; nei­ther ­saith he, For whom do I labour, and be­reave my soul of good? This is also van­i­ty, yea, it is a sore tra­vail. 9 Two are bet­ter than one; be­cause they have a good re­ward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fel­low: but woe to him that is alone when he fal­l­eth; for he hath not an­oth­er to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie to­geth­er, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one pre­vail against him, two shall with­stand him; and a three­fold cord is not quick­ly bro­ken. 13 Bet­ter is a poor and a wise child than an old and fool­ish king, who will no more be ad­mon­ished. 14 For out of prison he cometh to reign; where­as also he that is born in his king­dom be­cometh poor. 15 I con­sid­ered all the liv­ing which walk un­der the sun, with the sec­ond child that shall stand up in his stead. 16 There is no end of all the peo­ple, even of all that have been be­fore them: they also that come af­ter shall not re­joice in him. Sure­ly this also is van­i­ty and vex­a­tion of spir­it.