Ecclesiastes 4:2-13

²Thereupon praised I the dead that are already dead, more than the living who are still alive;

³And as happier than both of them, him who hath not yet come into being, who hath not seen the evil-doing that is done under the sun.—

⁴Again, I beheld all the toil, and all the energy in doing, that it is from the envy of one man of his neighbor. Also this is vanity and a torture of the spirit.

⁵The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

⁶Better is a handful of quiet, than both the hands full of toil and torture of spirit.

⁷Then I turned about, and I saw a vanity under the sun.

⁸There is one alone, and he hath not a companion; yea, he hath neither son nor brother: yet is there no end to all his toil; his eye also is not satisfied with riches. Yet for whom do I toil, and deprive my soul of good? Also this is vanity, yea, it is a bad employment.

⁹Two are better than one; because they will have a good reward for their toil.

¹⁰For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to the single one that falleth; for he hath no companion to lift him up.

¹¹Also, if two lie together, then will they become warm; but how can one person alone become warm?

¹²And if a man could overpower him, the single one, two would stand up against him: and a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn asunder.

¹³Better is a poor and a wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to be admonished any more.