1
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Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. |
2
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So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. |
3
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But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun. |
4
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Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless-- like chasing the wind. |
5
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"Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin." |
6
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And yet, "Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind." |
7
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I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. |
8
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This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" It is all so meaningless and depressing. |
9
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Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. |
10
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If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. |
11
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Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? |
12
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A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. |
13
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It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. |
14
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Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. |
15
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But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. |
16
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Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless-- like chasing the wind. |
Ecclesiastes 4:13 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
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