Ecclesiastes 4:1–8

¹ Again I looked, and I considered 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. ² So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive. ³ But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. ⁴ 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. ⁵ The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. ⁶ Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind. ⁷ Again, I saw futility under the sun. ⁸ 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.