⁷I turned and I looked at a mere breath
under the sun.
⁸There is one person, and there is no second person,
they have neither son or brother.
And there’s no end to all their work
nor is their eye satisfied by wealth.

‘And for whom am I worker
and depriving my soul of goodness?’
This too is mere breath, a bad business.

⁹Two are better than one,
because they have a better reward for their work.

¹⁰Because if one falls,
they can lift up their companion;
but alas for the one who falls and there is no other to lift them up.
¹¹Also, if two people lie down, they are warm,
but for one – how can they be warm?
¹²And if someone overpowers one
the two can stand up in front of them.

And a triple cord doesn’t break quickly.

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius