Ecclesiastes 4 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Suffering, Hard Work and No Friends

4 I looked and saw how much people were suffering on this earth.

I saw the tears of those who are suffering.
They don’t have anyone to comfort them.
Power is on the side of those who treat them badly.
Those who are suffering don’t have anyone to comfort them.
²Then I announced that those
who have already died
are happier than those
who are still alive.
³But someone who hasn’t been born yet
is better off than the dead or the living.
That’s because that person hasn’t seen the evil things
that are done on earth.

⁴I also saw that a person works hard and accomplishes a lot. But they do it only because they want what another person has. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

⁵Foolish people fold their hands and don’t work.
And that destroys them.
⁶One handful with peace and quiet
is better than two handfuls with hard work.
Working too hard is like chasing the wind.

⁷Again I saw something on earth that didn’t mean anything.

⁸A man lived all by himself.
He didn’t have any sons or brothers.
His hard work never ended.
But he wasn’t happy with what he had.
“Who am I working so hard for?” he asked.
“Why don’t I get the things I enjoy?”
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
In fact, it’s a very bad deal!

⁹Two people are better than one.
They can help each other in everything they do.
¹⁰Suppose either of them falls down.
Then the one can help the other one up.
But suppose a person falls down and doesn’t have anyone to help them up.
Then feel sorry for that person!
¹¹Or suppose two people lie down together.
Then they’ll keep warm.
But how can one person keep warm alone?
¹²One person could be overpowered.
But two people can stand up for themselves.
And a rope made out of three cords isn’t easily broken.

Getting Ahead Is Meaningless

¹³A poor but wise young man is better off than an old but foolish king. That king doesn’t pay attention to a warning anymore. ¹⁴The young man might have come from prison to become king. Or he might have been born poor within the kingdom but still became king. ¹⁵I saw that everyone was following the young man who had become the new king. ¹⁶At first, all the people served him when he became king. But those who came later weren’t pleased with the way he was ruling. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

4 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter. 2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet a...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

4 I turned me to other things, and I saw false challenges, that be done under the sun (and I saw much oppression, that is done under the sun), and the tears of the guiltless, and (that) no man (was a) comforter; and that they destitute, either forsaken, of the help of all men, may not against-stand ...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - World English Bible (WEB)

4 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. 2 Therefore I praised the dead who have been long dead more than t...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - The Voice (VOICE)

4 Teacher: Then I looked again and saw all the oppression that happens under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and no one offered to help and comfort them. The oppressors exercise all the power, while the powerless have no one to help and comfort them. 2 It struck me that the dead are actu...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Futility of Human Labor4 Again I looked and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold,I saw the tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter.Power is in the hand of their oppressors, but they had no comforter.2 So I considered the dead, who are already dead,more fortunate...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

4 Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than t...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Ecclesiastes 4 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

4 Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead, who have already died, more fortunate than the living, who are sti...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE)

4 Again I saw all the oppressions that are practised under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead, who have already died, more fortunate than the living, who are sti...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Ecclesiastes 4 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

4 Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them.(A)2 And I commended the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still aliv...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 But most fortunate of all are those ...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New Life Version (NLV)

4 Then I saw all the bad powers that were ruling under the sun. I saw the tears of the people who were suffering under these powers, with no one to comfort them. Those who made it hard for them had the power. But the people had no one to comfort them. 2 So I thought that those who are already dead ...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Uselessness of Selfish Toil4 Then I returned and considered all the (A)oppression that is done under the sun:And look! The tears of the oppressed,But they have no comforter—[a]On the side of their oppressors there is power,But they have no comforter.2 (B)Therefore I praised the dead who were alr...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Oppression, toil, friendlessness4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:I saw the tears of the oppressed – and they have no comforter;power was on the side of their oppressors – and they have no comforter.2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died,ar...
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Ecclesiastes 4 - New International Version (NIV)

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression(A) that was taking place under the sun:I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter;power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter.(B)2 And I declared that the dead,(C) who had already ...
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