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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ecclesiastes 4</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/bsb/spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc//ecclesiastes/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="/ecclesiastes/">Ecclesiastes</a> > Ecclesiastes 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/3.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 3">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 4 <a href="../ecclesiastes/5.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div align="center" id="jump2"><a href="/niv/ecclesiastes/4.htm">NIV</a> • <a href="/nlt/ecclesiastes/4.htm">NLT</a> • <a href="/esv/ecclesiastes/4.htm">ESV</a> • <a href="/kjv/ecclesiastes/4.htm">KJV</a> • <a href="/nkjv/ecclesiastes/4.htm">NKJ</a> • <a href="/nasb/ecclesiastes/4.htm">NAS</a></div><br /><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="1%" valign="top">BSB</td><td width="99%" valign="top" align="right"><a href="/parallel/ecclesiastes/4.htm" style="font-weight:normal" title="Parallel Chapters">Parallel Chapters ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><A name="2"></a><p class="hdg">The Evil of Oppression<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter. <A name="3"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive. <A name="4"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. <A name="5"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. <A name="6"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>The fool folds his hands <p class="indent2"> and consumes his own flesh. <A name="7"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Better one handful with tranquility <p class="indent2"> than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind. <A name="8"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Again, I saw futility under the sun. <A name="9"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task. <A name="10"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. <A name="11"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up! <A name="12"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? <A name="13"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. <A name="14"></a><p class="hdg">The Futility of Power<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning. <A name="15"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom. <A name="16"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.</p><br /></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Berean Bible (<a href=http://berean.bible>www.Berean.Bible</a>) <a href=http://bereanbible.com>Berean Study Bible (BSB)</a> © 2016, 2020 by <a href=http://biblehub.com>Bible Hub</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible>Berean.Bible</a>. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Free <a href=http://berean.bible/downloads.htm>downloads</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible/licensing.htm>licensing</a> available. 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