I purchased male and female slaves, and I owned slaves who were born in my house; I also possessed more livestock -- both herds and flocks -- than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.

The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies -- just like the fool!

I thought to myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed.

For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.

Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.

But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!

During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.

Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed -- whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.