Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.

No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?

All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.

When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.

When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength, while the evil days come not, and the years are far away when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;

In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;

When the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of the crushing is low, and the voice of the bird is soft, and the daughters of music will be made low;