Ecclesiastes Chapter 4 (NIV)
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Oppression, Toil, FriendlessnessAgain I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:I saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter;power was on the side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter.
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And I declared that the dead,who had already died,are happier than the living,who are still alive.
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But better than bothis he who has not yet been,who has not seen the evilthat is done under the sun.
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And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
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The fool folds his handsand ruins himself.
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Better one handful with tranquillitythan two handfuls with toiland chasing after the wind.
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Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
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There was a man all alone;he had neither son nor brother.There was no end to his toil,yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”This too is meaningless—a miserable business!
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Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their work:
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If one falls down,his friend can help him up.But pity the man who fallsand has no one to help him up!
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Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.But how can one keep warm alone?
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Though one may be overpowered,two can defend themselves.A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
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Advancement Is MeaninglessBetter a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.
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The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.
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I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor.
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There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
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