CHAPTER 4
Again,
I
observed
all
the oppression
taking place
under
the sun.
I saw
the tears
of the oppressed,
and they had no
comforter;
the power lay
in the hands of their oppressors,
and there was no
comforter.
But better
than both
is he who
has not
yet
existed,
who
has not
seen
the evil
that
is done
under
the sun.
I
saw
that all
labor
and
success
spring from
a man’s
envy
of his neighbor.
This
too
is futile
and a pursuit
of the wind.
There is
a
man all alone,
without
even
a son
or brother.
And though there is no
end
to his labor,
his eyes
are still
not
content
with his wealth:
“For whom
do I
toil
and bereave
my soul
of enjoyment?”
This
too
is futile—
a miserable
task.
For
if
one
falls down,
his companion
can lift him up;
but pity
the one
who falls
without
another
to help him up!
And though
one
may be overpowered,
two
can resist.
Moreover, a cord
of three
strands is not
quickly
broken.
Better
is a poor
but wise
youth
than an old
but foolish
king
who
no
longer
knows
how to take a warning.
I saw that
all
who lived
and walked
under
the sun
followed
this second
child,
who
succeeded
the king.
There is no
limit
to all
the people
who
were
before them,
yet
those who come later
will not
rejoice
in the successor.
This
too
is futile
and a pursuit
of the wind.