Ecclesiastes 4:8-10

New International Version

⁸There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content^(A) 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!

⁹Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.

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Ecclesiastes 4:8-10

New King James Version

⁸There is one alone, without ^[a]companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his ^(A)eye satisfied with riches.
But ^(B)he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of ^(C)good?”
This also is vanity and a ^[b]grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

⁹Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰For 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.

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Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. a second
Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. evil task

Ecclesiastes 4:8-10

English Standard Version

⁸one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his ^(A)eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, ^(B)“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy ^(C)business.

⁹Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

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Ecclesiastes 4:8-10

New American Standard Bible

⁸There was a man without a ^[a]dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, ^(A)his eyes were not satisfied with riches, and he never asked, “And ^(B)for whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is futility, and it is an ^(C)unhappy task.

⁹Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; ¹⁰for if ^[b]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not ^[c]another to lift him up!

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