Ecclesiastes 4:16 - Revised Version with Apocrypha 1895

¹⁶ There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹⁶ There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹⁶ There was no end to all the people; he was over all of them. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory) and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

American Standard Version (1901)

¹⁶ There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Common English Bible

¹⁶ There was no counting the number of people he ruled, but those who came later aren’t happy with him. This too is pointless and a chasing after wind.

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹⁶ The number of people, out of all who existed before these, is boundless. And those who will exist afterwards shall not rejoice in them. But this, too, is emptiness and an affliction of the spirit.

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

¹⁶ The number of the people, of all that were before him is infinite: and they that shall come afterwards, shall not rejoice in him: but this also is vanity, and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 4:16 Cross References

2 Samuel 19:9

And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land from Absalom.

1 Kings 1:40

And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:17

So I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me: for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:15

I saw all the living which walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead.