Welcome to our website where we explore the Bible! Pleasure to meet you here!
May your journey into the world of the Holy Scriptures be engaging and inspiring!
You can change reading language: uk ru
Parallel
New King James Version
New International Version
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
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.
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.
Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
More than the living who are still alive.
And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
But better than both
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
The Vanity of Selfish Toil
Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
And consumes his own flesh.
Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.
and ruin themselves.
Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless —
a miserable business!
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless —
a miserable business!
The Value of a Friend
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
because they have a good return for their labor:
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
But how can one be warm alone?
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Popularity Passes Away
Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
Advancement Is Meaningless
Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.
Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.
The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.
I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor.
There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.