Ecclesiastes 4:2

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1 Then I returned and considered all the ^aoppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
¹On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.

2 ^aTherefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.

3 ^aYet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

The Vanity of Selfish Toil

4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

5 ^aThe fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.

6 ^aBetter a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

8 There is one alone, without¹ companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his ^aeye satisfied with riches.
But ^bhe never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of ^cgood?”
This also is vanity and a¹ grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.

Verse Comparison: Ecclesiastes 4:2

<< Ecclesiastes 4:1

Ecclesiastes 4:3 >>

American Standard Version
Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;

Amplified® Bible
So I praised {and} thought more fortunate those who have been long dead than the living, who are still alive.

Contemporary English Version
I said to myself, "The dead are better off than the living.

Darby English Version
Then I praised the dead who are already dead more than the living who are yet alive;

Good News Bible
I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive.

King James Version
Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.

New American Standard Bible
So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

New International Version
And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.

New King James Version
Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
So I congratulated the dead who had died already dead more than the living who still live.

Revised Standard Version
And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive;

Young's Literal Translation
And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.

<< Ecclesiastes 4:1

Ecclesiastes 4:3 >>

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The Vanity of Selfish Toil

The Value of a Friend

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning