Ecclesiastes 4:3-5

Easy-to-Read Version

³ And it is even better for those who die at birth, because they never saw the evil that is done in this world.^[a]

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.^[b]

⁵ Some people say, “It is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don’t work, you will starve to death.”