Ecclesiastes 4:7-16

Again I saw something here on earth that was useless: I saw a man who had no family, no son or brother. He always worked hard but was never satisfied with what he had. He never asked himself, “For whom am I working so hard? Why don’t I let myself enjoy life?” This also is very sad and useless. Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break. A poor but wise boy is better than a foolish but old king who doesn’t listen to advice. A boy became king. He had been born poor in the kingdom and had even gone to prison before becoming king. I watched all the people who live on earth follow him and make him their king. Many followed him at first, but later, they did not like him, either. So fame and power are useless, like chasing the wind.