Who is wise? Let him observe and heed these things;
And [thoughtfully] consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Let there be no one to extend kindness to him,
Nor let anyone be gracious to his fatherless children.

You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross [for they have no value];
Therefore I love Your testimonies.

For there the thrones of judgment were set,
The thrones of the house of David.

But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.

“There I will make the horn (strength) of David grow;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises].

It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.

They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath in their mouths.

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we [captives] sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion [the city God imprinted on our hearts].

For there they who took us captive demanded of us a song with words,
And our tormentors [who made a mockery of us demanded] amusement, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Even before there is a word on my tongue [still unspoken],
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were appointed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].

And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Look to the right [the point of attack] and see;
For there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor].
Escape has failed me and I have nowhere to run;
No one cares about my life.

Let our cattle bear
Without mishap and without loss,
And let there be no outcry in our streets!

Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation (help).

And there a woman met him,
Dressed as a prostitute and sly and cunning of heart.

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness (upright, in right standing with God);
There is nothing contrary to truth or perverted (crooked) in them.

“When there were no ocean depths I was born,
When there were no fountains and springs overflowing with water.

“When He established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there;
When He drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there,
And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm],
But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.

There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more;
And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.

In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].

Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
But [without protection] it is swept away by injustice.

Fools mock sin [but sin mocks the fools],
But among the upright there is good will and the favor and blessing of God.

There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.

In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty.

In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.

There is severe discipline for him who turns from the way [of righteousness];
And he who hates correction will die.

Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated,
But with many counselors they are established and succeed.

There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him,
But its end is the way of death.

A worthless man devises and digs up evil,
And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.

The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.

Discipline and teach your son while there is hope,
And do not [indulge your anger or resentment by imposing inappropriate punishment nor] desire his destruction.

There is gold, and an abundance of pearls,
But the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all].

There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future],
But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

There is no [human] wisdom or understanding
Or counsel [that can prevail] against the Lord.

The lazy one [manufactures excuses and] says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]!”

Surely there is a future [and a reward],
And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.

For by wise guidance you can wage your war,
And in an abundance of [wise] counselors there is victory and safety.

Know that [skillful and godly] wisdom is [so very good] for your life and soul;
If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward,
And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.

For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

Take away the dross from the silver,
And there comes out [the pure metal for] a vessel for the silversmith [to shape].

Do you see a man [who is unteachable and] wise in his own eyes and full of self-conceit?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

The lazy person [who is self-indulgent and relies on lame excuses] says, “There is a lion in the road!
A lion is in the open square [and if I go outside to work I will be killed]!”

For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down.

And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And for the maintenance of your maids.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory and celebration;
But when the wicked rise [to prominence], men hide themselves.

By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped,
But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man,
The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;
But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]?
There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.

There is a generation (class of people) that curses its father
And does not bless its mother.

There is a generation (class of people) that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

There is a generation (class of people)—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are raised in arrogance.

There is a generation (class of people) whose teeth are like swords
And whose jaw teeth are like knives,
To devour the afflicted from the earth
And the needy from among men.

The leech has two daughters,
“Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four that do not say, “It is enough”:

There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:

There are four things that are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

There are three things which are stately in step,
Even four which are stately in their stride:

The strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And the king when his army is with him.

She comforts, encourages, and does him only good and not evil
All the days of her life.

All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.

That which has been is that which will be [again],
And that which has been done is that which will be done again.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it can be said,
“See this, it is new”?
It has already existed for [the vast] ages [of time recorded or unrecorded]
Which were before us.

There is no remembrance of earlier things,
Nor also of the later things that are to come;
There will be for them no remembrance
By generations who will come after them.

Then I considered all which my hands had done and labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun.

For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and assure himself that there is good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.

There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live;

Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?

There was a certain man—without a dependent, having neither a child nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “For whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity (a wisp of smoke, self-conceit); yes, it is a painful effort and an unhappy task.

There is no end to all the people; to all who were before them. Yet those who come later will not be happy with him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness) and chasing after the wind.

For in a multitude of dreams and in a flood of words there is worthlessness. Rather [reverently] fear God [and worship Him with awe-filled respect, knowing who He is].

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight [of corruption]; for a higher official watches over another official, and there are higher ones over them [looking out for one another].

When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what advantage is there to their owners except to see them with their eyes?

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being kept and hoarded by their owner to his own misery.

For when those riches are lost in bad investments and he becomes the father of a son, then there is nothing in his hand [for the support of the child].

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men:

For there are many other words that increase futility. What then is the advantage for a man?

I have seen everything during my [fleeting] days of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives a long life in [spite of] his wickedness.

Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.

There is no man who has power and authority over the wind to restrain the wind,
Nor does he have authority over the day of death;
There is no discharge [from service] during time of war,
And evil will not rescue those who [actively seek to] practice it.

All this I have seen while applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has exercised power over others to their detriment.

There is a meaningless and futile thing which is done on the earth: that is, there are righteous men whose gain is as though they were evil, and evil men whose gain is as though they were righteous. I say that this too is futility (meaningless, vain).

It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath.

[There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) where you are going.

There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great battlements against it.

But there was found in it a poor wise man, and by his wisdom he rescued the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.