| And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. | And where a single man can be overcome, two together will be able to resist. A cord with three strands is not easily broken. |
| To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. | For everything there is a season, and a time for every activity under heaven. |
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| For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. | And if one should fall, his companion will help him up. How pathetic is the man who is alone and falls and has no one to assist him to his feet. |
| He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. | One who is covetous will never be satisfied with money, nor will the lover of wealth be content with gain. This too is vanity. |
| Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. | Do not assert that the past was better than the present, for such a statement is not a sign of wisdom. |
| Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. | Two are better than one: they earn a far greater reward for their toil. |
| As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. | Just as you do not know the path of the wind or how the body is formed in a woman’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, the Creator of all. |
| Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. | Banish grief from your heart and ignore the sufferings of your body, for youth and the prime of life are fleeting. |
| In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. | When things are going well, be grateful for your blessings, and in times of adversity consider this: God has made both of them, so that we cannot predict with confidence what the future holds. |
| For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. | For much wisdom can result in much sorrow, and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief. |
