Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
Easy-to-Read Version
Why Work So Hard?
4 Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.[a]
5 Some people say, “It is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don’t work, you will starve to death.” 6 Maybe that is true. But I say it is better to be satisfied with the few things you have than to always be struggling to get more.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 trying to catch the wind Or “It is very troubling to the spirit.” The word for “troubling” can also mean “craving,” and the word for “spirit” can also mean “wind.” Also in verse 16.
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
New International Version
4 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.(A)
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