Ecclesiastes 4:2-4

English Standard Version

²And I ^(A)thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³But ^(B)better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

⁴Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is ^(C)vanity^[a] and a striving after wind.

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Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 4:4 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 7, 8, 16 (see note on 1:2)

Ecclesiastes 4:2-4

New International Version

²And I declared that the dead,^(A)
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.^(B)
³But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,^(C)
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.^(D)