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Ecclesiastes 4:5-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ecclesiastes 4:5-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 “Fools fold their arms
and consume their own flesh”—[a]
6 Better is one handful with tranquility
than two with toil and a chase after wind!
Companions and Successors. 7 Again I saw this vanity under the sun:
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- 4:5 Consume their own flesh: an enigmatic statement. In the context of vv. 4 and 6 it seems to warn that those who refuse to work for the necessities of life will suffer hunger and impair their bodily health. But the verse could also be intended for the industrious: Even the lazy may manage to have “their own flesh,” that is, have sufficient food to eat.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.