Ecclesiastes 4 — LSV

4Verse 1And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.^{Verse 2}And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.^{Verse 3}And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.^{Verse 4}And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.^{Verse 5}The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:^{Verse 6}“Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”^{Verse 7}And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:^{Verse 8}There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.^{Verse 9}The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.^{Verse 10}For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!^{Verse 11}Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?^{Verse 12}And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.^{Verse 13}Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.^{Verse 14}For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.^{Verse 15}I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;^{Verse 16}there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.