Evil Under the Sun

(A)Again I (B)saw all (C)the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had (D)no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I (E)thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But (F)better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

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On the Abuse of Authority

Next I turned to consider all kinds of oppression that exists on earth.

Look at the tears of the oppressed—
    there is no one to comfort them.
Power is on the side of their oppressors;
    so they have no comforters.

So I commended the dead who had already died as being happier than the living who are still alive. Better than both of them is someone who has not yet been born,[a] because he hasn’t experienced evil on earth.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 4:3 The Heb. lacks born