The devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is repulsive to men.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death,
And those who stagger to the slaughter, Oh hold them back [from their doom]!

My son, eat honey, because it is good,
And the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.

My son, fear the Lord and the king;
And do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],

These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment is not good.

He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him, nations will denounce him;

These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:

As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the hearts and minds of kings are unsearchable.

Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.

Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten];
They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].

Like a [common] clay vessel covered with the silver dross [making it appear silver when it has no real value]
Are burning lips [murmuring manipulative words] and a wicked heart.

When he speaks graciously and kindly [to conceal his malice], do not trust him,
For seven abominations are in his heart.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern],
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda].

A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it,
But the naive [who are easily misled] continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

A constant dripping on a day of steady rain
And a contentious (quarrelsome) woman are alike;

Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the underworld) are never satisfied;
Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen,
And herbs of the mountain are gathered in,

The wicked flee when no one pursues them,
But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice;
But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.

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:

The ants are not a strong people,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

The shephanim are not a mighty folk,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

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

Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless;

She does not fear the snow for her household,
For all in her household are clothed in [expensive] scarlet [wool].

Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure;
And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared].

Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised.

All things are wearisome and all words are frail;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

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.

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I know that [in the end] one fate happens to them both.

For all his days his work is painful and sorrowful; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity (worthless).

I said to myself regarding the sons of men, “God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals.”

All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.

Then I looked again and considered all the acts of oppression that were being practiced under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

So I congratulated and thought more fortunate are those who are already dead than the living who are still living.

But better off than either of them is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor;

Guard your steps and focus on what you are doing as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the [careless or irreverent] sacrifice of fools; for they are too ignorant to know they are doing evil.

Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.

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].

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].

All of his life he also eats in darkness [cheerlessly, without sweetness and light], with great frustration, sickness, and anger.

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the power or capacity to enjoy them [all those things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] enjoys them. This is vanity and it is a [cause of] great distress.

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he is not respected and is not given a proper burial [he is not laid to rest in the sepulcher of his fathers], then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he,

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

Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].

For the word of a king is authoritative and powerful,
And who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

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.

So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place [but did not thereby escape their doom], and they are [praised in spite of their evil and] soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility (vanity, emptiness).

Because the sentence against an evil act is not executed quickly, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life [seemingly] is prolonged [in spite of his wickedness], still I know that it will be well with those who [reverently] fear God, who fear and worship Him openly [realizing His omnipresence and His power].

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).

For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead.

Go your way, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God]; for God has already approved and accepted your works.

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.

For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.

But I say that wisdom is better than strength, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.

The words of wise men heard in quietness are better than the shouting of one who rules among fools.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him;

Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

If the clouds are full [of rain], they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it lies.

Therefore, remove sorrow and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, for childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

Remember [thoughtfully] also your Creator in the days of your youth [for you are not your own, but His], before the evil days come or the years draw near when you will say [of physical pleasures], “I have no enjoyment and delight in them”;

before the sun and the light, and the moon and the stars are darkened [by impaired vision], and the clouds [of depression] return after the rain [of tears];

in the day when the keepers of the house (hands, arms) tremble, and the strong men (feet, knees) bow themselves, and the grinders (molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those (eyes) who look through the windows grow dim;

when the doors (lips) are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding [of the teeth] is low, and one rises at the sound of a bird and the crowing of a rooster, and all the daughters of music (voice, ears) sing softly.

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

The words of the wise are like [prodding] goads, and these collected sayings are [firmly fixed in the mind] like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.

“Draw me away with you and let us run together!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.”

(The Chorus)“We will rejoice and be glad in you;
We will remember and extol your love more [sweet and fragrant] than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”(The Shulammite Bride)
“I am deeply tanned but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
[I am dark] like the tents of [the Bedouins of] Kedar,
Like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon.

“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of jewels.”

(The Bridegroom)
“Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling,
Behold, how beautiful you are!
Your eyes are dove’s eyes.”

(The Shulammite Bride)
“Behold, how fair and handsome you are, my beloved;
And so delightful!
Our arbor is green and luxuriant.

“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters and panels are cypresses.

(The Bridegroom)
“Like the lily among the thorns,
So are you, my darling, among the maidens.”

(The Bridegroom)
“I command that you take an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field [which run free],
That you do not rouse nor awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

‘The fig tree has budded and ripens her figs,
And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away [to climb the rocky steps of the hillside].’”

(The Bridegroom)
“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,
In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

(The Chorus)
“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love],
While our vineyards are in blossom.”

“I said ‘So I must arise now and go out into the city;
Into the streets and into the squares [places I do not know]
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but I did not find him.

(The Chorus)
“Behold, it is the couch (palanquin) of Solomon;
Sixty mighty men around it,
Of the mighty men of Israel.

“All of them handle the sword,
All expert in war;
Each man has his sword at his thigh,
Guarding against the terrors of the night.

(The Bridegroom)“How fair and beautiful you are, my darling,
How very beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;
Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats
That have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].

“Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes
Which have come up from washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.

“Your lips are like a ribbon of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples are like a slice of the pomegranate
Behind your veil.

“Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle
Which feed among the lilies.

“O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair.
There is no flaw nor blemish in you!

“Your lips, my [promised] bride, drip honey [as the honeycomb];
Honey and milk are under your tongue,
And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.