The evil of oppression
1
And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, 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 alive.
3
And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.
4
And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
5
The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
6
“Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
7
And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
8
There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
9
The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
10
For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!
11
Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
12
And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
The futility of power
13
Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
14
For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
15
I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
16
there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.
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