New Living Translation (NLT)
Ecclesiastes 4
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?
12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.
14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison.
15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him.
16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
Ecclesiastes 5
1 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.
2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
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