A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.

By justice a king brings stability to a land,
but a man who demands “contributions”
demolishes it.

A man who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his feet.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.

Without revelation people run wild,
but one who listens to instruction will be happy.

Do you see a man who speaks too soon?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

The fear of man is a snare,
but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?

Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

Don’t spend your energy on women
or your efforts on those who destroy kings.

Give beer to one who is dying
and wine to one whose life is bitter.

Speak up for those who have no voice,
for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

Who can find a capable wife?
She is far more precious than jewels.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

There is no remembrance of those who came before;
and of those who will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.

I said to myself, “Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.”

I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.

Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He will do what has already been done.

I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong.

because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him?

For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?

I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?

Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.

So I admired the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive.

But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. “So who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself from good?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.

Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings.

I saw all the living, who move about under the sun, follow a second youth who succeeds him.

There is no limit to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile.

When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes?

This too is a sickening tragedy: exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind?

What advantage then does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others?

Whatever exists was given its name long ago, and it is known what man is. But he is not able to contend with the One stronger than he.

For who knows what is good for man in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow? Who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance
and an advantage to those who see the sun,

Consider the work of God,
for who can straighten out
what He has made crooked?

In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil.

It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

There is certainly no righteous man on the earth
who does good and never sins.

What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it?

And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, her heart a net, and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.

Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen?

No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; there is no furlough in battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.

There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

Everything is the same for everyone: there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath.

The one who digs a pit may fall into it,
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.

Yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?

One who watches the wind will not sow,
and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap.

Just as you don’t know the path of the wind,
or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman,
so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.

on the day when the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
the women who grind cease because they are few,
and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly,

and the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Tell me, you, the one I love:
Where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you let them rest at noon?
Why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your companions?

The guards who go about the city found me.
I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?”

I had just passed them
when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house—
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.

The guards who go about the city found me.
They beat and wounded me;
they took my cloak from me—
the guardians of the walls.

But my dove, my virtuous one, is unique;
she is the favorite of her mother,
perfect to the one who gave her birth.
Women see her and declare her fortunate;
queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises:

Y Who is this who shines like the dawn—
as beautiful as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army with banners?

If only I could treat you like my brother,
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.

I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother who taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from my pomegranate juice.

Y Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?

W I awakened you under the apricot tree.
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.

W I am a wall
and my breasts like towers.
So in his eyes I have become
like one who finds peace.

I have my own vineyard.
The 1,000 are for you, Solomon,
but 200 for those who guard its fruits.

M You who dwell in the gardens—
companions are listening for your voice—
let me hear you!

When you come to appear before Me,
who requires this from you—
this trampling of My courts?

But both rebels and sinners will be destroyed,
and those who abandon the Lord will perish.

Put no more trust in man,
who has only the breath in his nostrils.
What is he really worth?

Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are destined to live—

Woe to those who add house to house
and join field to field
until there is no more room
and you alone are left in the land.

Woe to those who rise early in the morning
in pursuit of beer,
who linger into the evening,
inflamed by wine.

Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat
and opens wide its enormous jaws,
and down go Zion’s dignitaries, her masses,
her crowds, and those who carouse in her!

Woe to those who drag wickedness
with cords of deceit
and pull sin along with cart ropes,

to those who say:
“Let Him hurry up and do His work quickly
so that we can see it!
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place
so that we can know it!”

Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion
and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
who are fearless at mixing beer,

who acquit the guilty for a bribe
and deprive the innocent of justice.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

Who should I send?
Who will go for Us?

I said:

Here I am. Send me.

I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.
I will wait for Him.

Here I am with the children the Lord has given me to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts who dwells on Mount Zion.

When they say to you, “Consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who chirp and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

The people did not turn to Him who struck them;
they did not seek the Lord of Hosts.

What will you do on the day of punishment
when devastation comes from far away?
Who will you run to for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?

Does an ax exalt itself
above the one who chops with it?
Does a saw magnify itself
above the one who saws with it?
It would be like a staff waving the one who lifts it!
It would be like a rod lifting a man who isn’t wood!

On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore, the Lord God of Hosts says this: “My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, though he strikes you with a rod and raises his staff over you as the Egyptians did.

On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover—from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west—the remnant of His people who survive.

There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
who will survive from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.

I have commanded My chosen ones;
I have also called My warriors,
who exult in My triumph,
to execute My wrath.

Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,
who cannot be bought off with silver
and who have no desire for gold.