Ecclesiastes 4:9

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.

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away

13 Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.

14 For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although¹ he was born poor in his kingdom.

15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.

16 There was no end of all the people¹ over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Verse Comparison: Ecclesiastes 4:9

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American Standard Version
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

Amplified® Bible
Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor;

Contemporary English Version
You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn.

Darby English Version
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

Good News Bible
Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.

King James Version
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

New American Standard Bible
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

New International Version
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

New King James Version
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
Two prove better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

Revised Standard Version
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

Young's Literal Translation
The two `are' better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labour.

New English Translation
Two people are better than one, because they can reap¹ more benefit² from their labor.

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