| And where a single man can be overcome, two together will be able to resist. A cord with three strands is not easily broken. | 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. |
| For everything there is a season, and a time for every activity under heaven. | For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. |
| 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. | If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. |
| Do not assert that the past was better than the present, for such a statement is not a sign of wisdom. | Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. |
| One who is covetous will never be satisfied with money, nor will the lover of wealth be content with gain. This too is vanity. | Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! |
| Two are better than one: they earn a far greater reward for their toil. | Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. |
| 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. | Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. |
| Banish grief from your heart and ignore the sufferings of your body, for youth and the prime of life are fleeting. | So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless. |
| 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. | Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. |
| For much wisdom can result in much sorrow, and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief. | The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. |
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