I will make clear the Lord's decision: he has said to me, You are my son, this day have I given you being.

O Lord my God, if I have done this; if my hands have done any wrong;

You will keep them, O Lord, you will keep them safe from this generation for ever.

Because of this my heart is glad, and my glory is full of joy: while my flesh takes its rest in hope.

Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.

They will come and make his righteousness clear to a people of the future because he has done this.

One prayer have I made to the Lord, and this is my heart's desire; that I may have a place in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, looking on his glory, and getting wisdom in his Temple.

And now my head will be lifted up higher than my haters who are round me: because of this I will make offerings of joy in his tent; I will make a song, truly I will make a song of praise to the Lord.

The Lord is my strength and my breastplate, my heart had faith in him and I am helped; for this cause my heart is full of rapture, and I will give him praise in my song.

For this cause let every saint make his prayer to you at a time when you are near: then the overflowing of the great waters will not overtake him.

This poor man's cry came before the Lord, and he gave him salvation from all his troubles.

You have seen this, O Lord; be not unmoved: O Lord, be not far from me.

By this I see that you have pleasure in me, because my hater does not overcome me.

Because of this we are turned back by the attacker: those who have hate for us take our goods for themselves.

All this has come on us, but still we have kept you in our memory; and we have not been false to your word.

You are fairer than the children of men; grace is flowing through your lips; for this cause the blessing of God is with you for ever.

I will keep the memory of your name living through all generations; and because of this the people will give you praise for ever.

For this cause we will have no fear, even though the earth is changed, and though the mountains are moved in the heart of the sea;

Give attention to this, all you peoples; let your ears be open, all you who are living in the world.

This is the way of the foolish; their silver is for those who come after them, and their children get the pleasure of their gold. (Selah.)

See, this is the man who did not make God his strength, but had faith in his goods and his property, and made himself

When I send up my cry to you, my haters will be turned back; I am certain of this, for God is with me.

This will be more pleasing to the Lord than an ox, or a young ox of full growth.

Now when I am old and grey-headed, O God, give me not up; till I have made clear your strength to this generation, and your power to all those to come.

For this reason pride is round them like a chain; they are clothed with violent behaviour as with a robe.

For this reason they are full of bread; and water is ever flowing for them.

And they say, How will the Lord see this? is there knowledge in the Most High?

When my thoughts were turned to see the reason of this, it was a weariness in my eyes;

Keep in mind your band of worshippers, for whom you gave payment in the days which are past, whom you took for yourself as the people of your heritage; even this mountain of Zion, which has been your resting-place.

Keep this in mind, O Lord, that your haters have said cruel things, and that your name has been looked down on by a people of evil behaviour.

The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.

When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;

Come back, O God of armies: from heaven let your eyes be turned to this vine, and give your mind to it,

For this is a rule for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

This house is resting on the holy mountain.

Rahab and Babylon will be named among those who have knowledge of me; see, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man had his birth there.

And of Zion it will be said, This or that man had his birth there; and the Most High will make her strong.

The Lord will keep in mind, when he is writing the records of the people, that this man had his birth there. (Selah.)

For forty years I was angry with this generation, and said, They are a people whose hearts are turned away from me, for they have no knowledge of my ways;

Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.

Let blessing be on the name of the Lord, from this time and for ever.

This is the door of the Lord's house; the workers of righteousness will go in through it.

This is the Lord's doing; it is a wonder in our eyes.

This is the day which the Lord has made; we will be full of joy and delight in it.

This is my comfort in my trouble; that your sayings have given me life.

This has been true of me, that I have kept your orders in my heart.

They are ruled this day by your decisions; for all things are your servants.

Through your orders I get wisdom; for this reason I am a hater of every false way.

All the sinners of the earth are like waste metal in your eyes; and for this cause I give my love to your unchanging word.

For this reason I have greater love far your teachings than for gold, even for shining gold.

Your unchanging word is full of wonder; for this reason my soul keeps it.

I will give you praise, for I am strangely and delicately formed; your works are great wonders, and of this my soul is fully conscious.

To give them the punishment which is in the holy writings: this honour is given to all his saints. Praise be to the Lord.

This will give strength to your flesh, and new life to your bones.

Do this, my son, and make yourself free, because you have come into the power of your neighbour; go without waiting, and make a strong request to your neighbour.

For this cause his downfall will be sudden; quickly he will be broken, and there will be no help for him.

So that your faith may be in the Lord, I have made them clear to you this day, even to you.

If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?

This is the way of a false wife; she takes food, and, cleaning her mouth, says, I have done no wrong.

Is there anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was before us.

And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.

And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.

There is nothing better for a man than taking meat and drink, and having delight in his work. This again I saw was from the hand of God.

To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

It is one who is by himself, without a second, and without son or brother; but there is no end to all his work, and he has never enough of wealth. For whom, then, am I working and keeping myself from pleasure? This again is to no purpose, and a bitter work.

There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

A man to whom God gives money, wealth, and honour so that he has all his desires but God does not give him the power to have joy of it, and a strange man takes it. This is to no purpose and an evil disease.

Yes, it saw not the sun, and it had no knowledge; it is better with this than with the other.

What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.

All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.

Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,

This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.

The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?

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.

And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them.

This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that--to the dead.

This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.

In the morning put your seed into the earth, and till the evening let not your hand be at rest; because you are not certain which will do well, this or that--or if the two will be equally good.

And further, my son, take note of this: of the making of books there is no end, and much learning is a weariness to the flesh.

This is the last word. All has been said. Have fear of God and keep his laws; because this is right for every man.

Who is this coming out of the waste places like pillars of smoke, perfumed with sweet spices, with all the spices of the trader?

What is your loved one more than another, O fairest among women? What is your loved one more than another, that you say this to us?

His mouth is most sweet; yes, he is all beautiful. This is my loved one, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Who is this, who comes up from the waste places, resting on her loved one? It was I who made you awake under the apple-tree, where your mother gave you birth; there she was in pain at your birth.

For this reason the Lord, the Lord of armies, the Strong One of Israel, has said, I will put an end to my haters, and send punishment on those who are against me;