Ecclesiastes 3:16-17
New King James Version
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16 Moreover (A)I saw under the sun:
In the place of [a]judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
[b]Iniquity was there.
17 I said in my heart,
(B)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every [c]purpose and for every work.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 justice
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 Wickedness
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 desire
Ecclesiastes 4:1-6
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
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 (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.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:1 Lit. At the hand
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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