Ecclesiastes 4

New King James Version

The Uselessness of Selfish Toil

4 Then I returned and considered all the ^(A)oppression that is done under the sun:

And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
^[a]On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.
²^(B)Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
³^(C)Yet, 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

⁴Again, 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^(D)The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
⁶^(E)Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

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

⁸There is one alone, without ^[b]companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his ^(F)eye satisfied with riches.
But ^(G)he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of ^(H)good?”
This also is vanity and a ^[c]grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

⁹Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰For 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.
¹¹Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
¹²Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away

¹³Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
¹⁴For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although ^[d]he was born poor in his kingdom.
¹⁵I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
¹⁶There was no end of all the people ^[e]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.

Notas al pie

Ecclesiastes 4:1 Lit. At the hand
Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. a second
Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. evil task
Ecclesiastes 4:14 The youth
Ecclesiastes 4:16 Lit. to all before whom he was to be

Psalm 132

New King James Version

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

A Song of Ascents.

132 Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
²How he swore to the Lord,
^(A)And vowed to ^(B)the Mighty One of Jacob:
³“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
⁴I will ^(C)not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵Until I ^(D)find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶Behold, we heard of it ^(E)in Ephrathah;
^(F)We found it ^(G)in the fields of ^[a]the woods.
⁷Let us go into His tabernacle;
^(H)Let us worship at His footstool.
⁸^(I)Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and ^(J)the ark of Your strength.
⁹Let Your priests ^(K)be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your saints shout for joy.

¹⁰For Your servant David’s sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your ^[b]Anointed.

¹¹^(L)The Lord has sworn in truth to David;
He will not turn from it:
“I will set upon your throne ^(M)the ^[c]fruit of your body.
¹²If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I shall teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.”

¹³^(N)For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His ^[d]dwelling place:
¹⁴“This^(O) is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
¹⁵^(P)I will abundantly bless her ^[e]provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶^(Q)I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
^(R)And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
¹⁷^(S)There I will make the ^[f]horn of David grow;
^(T)I will prepare a lamp for My ^[g]Anointed.
¹⁸His enemies I will ^(U)clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”