Ecclesiastes 4:4-8

Good News Translation

⁴ I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind. ⁵ They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death. ⁶ Maybe so, but it is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.

⁷ I have noticed something else in life that is useless. ⁸ Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too—and a miserable way to live.