Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

GOD’S WORD Translation

Those Who Are All Alone

⁷ Next, I turned to look at something pointless under the sun: ⁸ There are people who are all alone. They have no children or other family members. So there is no end to all the hard work they have to do. Their eyes are never satisfied with riches. But ⌞they never ask themselves⌟ why they are working so hard and depriving themselves of good things. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.

Two Are Better Than One

⁹ Two people are better than one because ⌞together⌟ they have a good reward for their hard work. ¹⁰ If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is ⌞all⌟ alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up. ¹¹ Again, if two people lie down together, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm? ¹² Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken.