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Ecclesiastes 4
Revised Geneva Translation
Ecclesiastes 4
Revised Geneva Translation
4 So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed. And no one comforts them. And lo, the strength is in the hand of those who oppress them. Yet no one comforts them.
2 Therefore, I praised the dead who are already dead above the living who are still alive.
3 And I count him who has not even been born as better than them both. For he has not seen the evil works which are wrought under the Sun.
4 Also I beheld all work, and all perfection of work, and that this is the envy of a man against his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping at the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
6 Better is a handful with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and grasping at the wind.
7 Again I returned and saw vanity under the Sun.
8 There is one who has neither son nor brother. And there is no second. Still, there is no end of all his travail. Nor can his eye be satisfied with riches. Nor does he think, “For whom do I travail and defraud my soul of pleasures?” This also is vanity. This is an evil travail.
9 Two are better than one. 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. For he falls, and there is not a second to lift him up.
11 Also if two sleep together, then they shall have heat. But how would there be heat for one?
12 And though one is overcome, two shall stand. And a threefold cord is not easily broken.
13 Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who will no longer be admonished.
14 For he comes forth to reign from prison, though he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I beheld all the living who walk under the Sun with the second child, who shall stand up in his place.
16 There is no end of all the people who were before them. And those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this is also vanity and grasping at the wind.
17 Guard your step when you enter into the House of God and be near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they do not know that they do evil.
Ecclesiastes 4
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 4
New International Version
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression(A) that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.(B)
2 And I declared that the dead,(C)
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.(D)
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,(E)
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.(F)
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(G)
5 Fools fold their hands(H)
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil(I)
and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content(J) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
傳道書 4
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
傳道書 4
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
受虐流涕無人慰藉
4 我又轉念，見日光之下所行的一切欺壓。看哪，受欺壓的流淚，且無人安慰；欺壓他們的有勢力，也無人安慰他們。 2 因此，我讚嘆那早已死的死人，勝過那還活著的活人。 3 並且我以為那未曾生的，就是未見過日光之下惡事的，比這兩等人更強。
4 我又見人為一切的勞碌和各樣靈巧的工作，就被鄰舍嫉妒。這也是虛空，也是捕風。 5 愚昧人抱著手，吃自己的肉。 6 滿了一把得享安靜，強如滿了兩把勞碌捕風。
7 我又轉念，見日光之下有一件虛空的事。 8 有人孤單無二，無子無兄，竟勞碌不息，眼目也不以錢財為足。他說：「我勞勞碌碌，刻苦自己，不享福樂，到底是為誰呢？」這也是虛空，是極重的勞苦。 9 兩個人總比一個人好，因為二人勞碌同得美好的果效。 10 若是跌倒，這人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，沒有別人扶起他來，這人就有禍了！ 11 再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人獨睡怎能暖和呢？ 12 有人攻勝孤身一人，若有二人便能抵擋他，三股合成的繩子不容易折斷。
幼而智勝於老而愚
13 貧窮而有智慧的少年人，勝過年老不肯納諫的愚昧王。 14 這人是從監牢中出來做王，在他國中，生來原是貧窮的。 15 我見日光之下一切行動的活人都隨從那第二位，就是起來代替老王的少年人。 16 他所治理的眾人，就是他的百姓，多得無數，在他後來的人尚且不喜悅他。這真是虛空，也是捕風。
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional) (CUVMPT)
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