NINA FARINA

Taking it Back

For those who know me I am a tad on the spiritual side and I shake it all up when it comes to my beliefs. I have several "favorite" books of the Bible and it has been a while since I threw something up on here (and yes my favorite quotes get repetitive cause I know I have posted part of this before). So here is most of chapter four of Ecclesiastics which I have been studying most of the semester. I have just been reading it over and over again and now you can read some...

Ecclesiastes 4

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

¹ Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.

² And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.

³ But better than both
is he who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.

⁴ And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

⁵ The fool folds his hands
and ruins himself.

⁶ Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.

⁷ Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

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

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken