For what advantage is to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?

Better is the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

What is that which hath been? already is its name called, and it is known that it is man, and he is not able to contend with him who is stronger than he.

For there are many things multiplying vanity; what advantage is to man?

For who knoweth what is good for a man in life, the number of the days of the life of his vanity, and he maketh them as a shadow? for who declareth to man what is after him under the sun?

Better is a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.

Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth it unto his heart.

Better is sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.

The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.

Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than for a man to hear a song of fools,

For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So is the laughter of a fool, even this is vanity.

Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.

Better is the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better is the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And an advantage it is to those beholding the sun.

For wisdom is a defense, money is a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom is, She reviveth her possessors.

See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?

The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging himself in his wrong.

Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?

It is good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.

The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.

Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.

All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it is far from me.

Far off is that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?

And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is nets and snares, her hands are bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causeth his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Where the word of a king is power is, and who saith to him, 'What dost thou?'

Whoso is keeping a command knoweth no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knoweth.

For to every delight there is a time and a judgment, for the misfortune of man is great upon him.

There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness delivereth not its possessors.

All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that hath been done under the sun; a time that man hath ruled over man to his own evil.

And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This also is vanity.

Because sentence hath not been done on an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil.

Though a sinner is doing evil a hundred times, and prolonging himself for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.

And good is not to the wicked, and he doth not prolong days as a shadow, because he is not fearing before God.

There is a vanity that hath been done upon the earth, that there are righteous ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this also is vanity.

And I have praised mirth because there is no good to man under the sun except to eat and to drink, and to rejoice, and it remaineth with him of his labour the days of his life that God hath given to him under the sun.

When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that hath been done on the earth, (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),

then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that hath been done under the sun, because though man labour to seek, yet he doth not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.

But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole is before them.

The whole is as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as is the good, so is the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing an oath.

This is an evil among all that hath been done under the sun, that one event is to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after it -- unto the dead.

But to him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it is better than to the dead lion.

For the living know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been forgotten.

See life with the wife whom thou hast loved, all the days of the life of thy vanity, that He hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for it is thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at under the sun.

All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.

I have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift is the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skilful grace, for time and chance happen with them all.

For even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these are the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.

This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.

and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!

And I said, 'Better is wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' --

The words of the wise in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.

Better is wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!

The heart of the wise is at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He is a fool.'

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom is advantageous to make right.

If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

Words of the mouth of the wise are gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, And the latter end of his mouth Is mischievous madness.

And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

Happy art thou, O land, When thy king is a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.

If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty themselves; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.

Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, How -- bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.

In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike are good.

Sweet also is the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.

But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming is vanity.

While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And one riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole is vanity.

And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out -- he made right many similes.

Words of the wise are as goads, and as fences planted by the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the whole matter let us hear: -- 'Fear God, and keep His commands, for this is the whole of man.

The Song of Songs, that is Solomon's.

Dark am I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.

Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?

While the king is in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.

A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.

A cluster of cypress is my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

Lo, thou art fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch is green,

As a lily among the thorns,

So is my friend among the daughters!

As a citron among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit is sweet to my palate.

He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me is love,

His left hand is under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

The voice of my beloved! lo, this -- he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

My beloved is like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this -- he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice.

My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice is sweet, and thy appearance comely.

Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes -- destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards.

My beloved is mine, and I am his, Who is delighting among the lilies,