1 I considered also how much oppression there is under the sun: the tears of the oppressed and no one to console them, the violence of the oppressors and no one to hold them back.
2 More fortunate are the dead for being dead, than the living who have to live,
3 and even more fortunate than both is the one not yet born who has not seen the abuses under the sun.
4 I saw that all that is done, all that succeeds, results from rivalry with the neighbor: all is meaningless and chasing the wind.
5 The fool folds his arms and eats his meat.
6 Yet better half a fistful of rest than fistfuls of toil and chasing the wind.
7 I saw another senseless thing under the sun:
8 a man alone, without son or brother, working endlessly, his greed never satisfied with wealth: "For whom do I work and deprive myself of pleasure?" This, too, is nonsense and mistaken investment.
9 Happier two than one alone, for their work brings a higher salary,
10 and when one falls the other lifts up his companion. Unfortunate he who is alone and has no one to lift him up.
11 Moreover it's warmer with two in bed; how can one alone be warm?
12 One person may be overcome by an aggressor, but two can easily oppose him; triple-stranded thread is not easily broken.
13 Better a youth who is poor and wise than a fool of an old king who shuns advice.
14 He may even pass from prison to the throne, though born poor in his kingdom.
15 I saw all who live under the sun follow the youth who replaced the latter and there was no end to the people who sided with him.
16 And yet those who will come after will not be satisfied. This too makes no sense; it's nothing but chasing wind.
17 Watch your step when you go to God's house; it's a better offering to listen, than to present sacrifices as do the fools; for they do not know the evil they do.
Versículos relacionados com Ecclesiastes, 4:
Ecclesiastes 4 deals with the oppression and loneliness faced by human beings, as well as the importance of friendship and union. The author states that it is better to have company than living isolated, and that two people working together can have a better result than working alone. To complement this theme, five related verses follow:
Proverbs 17:17: "The friend loves at all times; he is a brother in adversity." This verse emphasizes the importance of friendship and company, which are fundamental to facing difficult times and overcoming loneliness.
Proverbs 27:17: "Just as iron sharpening iron, man sharpely his mate." This verse highlights the importance of having friends who can contribute to our personal and professional growth through the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
Galatians 6:2: "Take the heavy bales of each other and thus comply with the law of Christ." This verse emphasizes the importance of helping others in their difficulties, supporting each other in difficult times.
Proverbs 18:24: "There are friends who lead to ruin, and there are friends closer than a brother." This verse highlights the importance of choosing our friends well, looking for people who support us and help grow.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27: "For just as the body is a unity, although it has many members, and all members, even though they are many, form one body, as well as with respect to Christ." This verse compares the union of a group of people with the union of a body, noting that each member has an important function and that together can achieve great deeds.
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