Eclesiastés 4
Dios Habla Hoy
4 Dirigí luego mi atención a los actos de opresión que se cometen en este mundo. Y vi que los oprimidos lloran, pero no hay quien los consuele; sus opresores les hacen violencia, pero no hay quien los consuele. 2 Por eso consideré más felices a los que ya han muerto que a los que aún viven; 3 aunque en mejores condiciones que estos dos están los que aún no han nacido, pues todavía no han visto la maldad que se comete en este mundo.
4 Vi también que el mucho trabajar y el éxito en una empresa provocan la envidia de unos contra otros, y esto también es vana ilusión y querer atrapar el viento.
5 La gente dice: «El necio se cruza de brazos y se destruye a sí mismo.» 6 Pero yo digo: «Más vale un puñado de descanso que dos de fatiga por querer atrapar el viento.»
7 Al volverme hacia otro lado, vi otra vana ilusión en este mundo: 8 un hombre solo, sin amigos ni hijos ni hermanos, que jamás se toma un momento de descanso y que nunca se cansa de contemplar sus riquezas, ni se pregunta: «¿Y para quién trabajo tanto? ¿Para qué me niego el bienestar?» Pues también esto es vana ilusión y una pesada carga.
La unión hace la fuerza
9 Más valen dos que uno, pues mayor provecho obtienen de su trabajo. 10 Y si uno de ellos cae, el otro lo levanta. ¡Pero ay del que cae estando solo, pues no habrá quien lo levante! 11 Además, si dos se acuestan juntos, uno a otro se calientan; pero uno solo, ¿cómo va a entrar en calor? 12 Uno solo puede ser vencido, pero dos podrán resistir. Y además, la cuerda de tres hilos no se rompe fácilmente.
La sabiduría no está en la edad
13 Por otra parte, más vale el joven pobre pero sabio que el rey viejo pero necio, porque éste ya no admite consejos. 14-15 Aunque el joven que luego reinará en lugar de ese rey haya llegado de la cárcel al trono, o haya subido de la pobreza al reinado, he visto a la gente de este mundo darle su apoyo. 16 Y aunque es incontable el pueblo sobre el cual reinará, ni a ellos ni a sus descendientes los dejará contentos. Y también esto es vana ilusión y querer atrapar el viento.
Ecclesiastes 4
Expanded Bible
Is It Better to Be Dead?
4 Again I saw all the people who were ·mistreated [oppressed] ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3].
I saw ·their tears [L the tears of the oppressed]
and that they had no one to comfort them.
·Cruel people had [Oppressors have] all the power,
and there was no one to comfort those they hurt.
2 I ·decided that the dead
are better off than the living [L praised the dead who were already dead more than the living who are still alive].
3 But those who have never ·been born [existed; L been]
are better off still;
they have not seen the evil
that is done ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3].
Why Work So Hard?
4 I ·realized [saw; observed] the reason people ·work hard [toil] and try to succeed: They are jealous of ·each other [L their neighbors]. This, too, is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind.
5 ·Some say it is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing [L Fools fold their hands],
·because you will starve to death [L and consume their own flesh; Prov. 6:9–11; 10:4; 24:30–34].
6 ·Maybe so, but I say it is better to be content
with what little you have [L Better one handful with rest].
·Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more [L …than two handfuls with hard work/toil; Prov. 15:15; 16:8; 17:1],
and that is like chasing the wind.
7 ·Again I [L I turned and] saw something ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3] that was useless [1:2]:
8 ·I saw a man who had no family [L There was one, but not a second],
no son or brother.
·He always worked hard [L There was no end to all his hard work/toil]
but ·was never satisfied with what he had [L his eye was never satisfied with his work].
He ·never asked [or asked] himself, “For whom am I ·working so hard [toiling]?
Why ·don’t I let myself enjoy life [L do I deprive myself of good]?”
This also is ·very sad [or an evil task/occupation] and useless [1:2].
Friends and Family Give Strength
9 Two people are better than one,
because they get ·more done by working together [L a good return for their hard work/toil].
10 If one falls down,
the other can help ·him [L his colleague] up.
But it is ·bad [a pity] for the person who is alone and falls,
because no one is there to help.
11 If two lie down together, they will be warm,
but a person alone will not be warm.
12 ·An enemy [L Someone] might ·defeat [overpower] one person,
but two people together can ·defend themselves [L stand up against them];
·a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break [T a three-stranded cord does not quickly snap; C having a friend is good, having more friends is better].
Fame and Power Are Useless
13 A poor but wise ·boy [youth] is better than a foolish but old king who doesn’t listen to advice [Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 20:18; 24:6]. 14 The ·boy [youth] became king. He had been born poor in the kingdom and had even gone to prison before becoming king. 15 I ·watched [saw; observed] all the people who ·lived on earth [L walked under the sun; 1:3] follow ·him and make him their king [or the next youth who replaced the first youth/L him]. 16 ·Many followed him at first [L There was no end to all the people, to all those whom he led], but later, they did not like him, either. ·So fame and power are [L This is] useless [1:2], like chasing the wind.
Dios habla hoy ®, © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 1966, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1996.
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