Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
Lexham English Bible
People Need Balance in Their Approach to Labor
4 I also realized that all of the toil and all of the skillful work that is done—it is envy between one man and another.[a] This also is vanity and chasing wind!
5 The fool refuses to work with his hands,
so he has nothing to eat except his own skin![b]
6 Better is one handful with peace
than two fists full with toil and chasing wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 Literally “his friend”
- Ecclesiastes 4:5 Literally “The fool folds his hands and eats his flesh”
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
New King James Version
The Vanity of Selfish Toil
4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
5 (A)The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
6 (B)Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
