Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;
yea, {Or, better than they both is he that &c.}better than them both did I esteem him that hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Then I saw all labor and every {Or, successful}skilful work, that {Or, it cometh of a man's rivalry with his neighbor}for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
Better is a handful, {Or, of}with quietness, than two handfuls {Or, of}with labor and striving after wind.
Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.
There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, saith he, do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.
Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone?
And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition any more.
For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea, even in his kingdom he was born poor.
I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead.
{Or, There is no end, in the mind of all the people, to all that hath been before them; they also &c.}There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Querverweise zu Prediger 4,14 Pred 4,14
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou:
thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people {Or, order themselves Or, do homage}be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of {Or, cotton}fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, {Abrech, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel.}Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.
And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the {Hebrew: runners.}guard, who kept the door of the king's house.
So that he setteth up on high those that are low,And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, {According to another reading, when he reigned.}that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a {Or, fine}tribute of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
And Pharaoh-necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he took Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there.
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill;
In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
That he may set him with princes,Even with the princes of his people.
And Jehovah sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his {Or, eunuchs}officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
and changed his prison garments. And Jehoiachin did eat bread before him continually all the days of his life:
and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.
The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits;Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.
While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee: