What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.

He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.

He who withholds his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die.

A scoffer does not love one who reproves him,
He will not go to the wise.

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

A worker’s appetite works for him,
For his hunger urges him on.

A man of violence entices his neighbor
And leads him in a way that is not good.

A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

A foolish son is a grief to his father
And bitterness to her who bore him.

He also who is slack in his work
Is brother to him who destroys.

He who gives an answer before he hears,
It is folly and shame to him.

A man’s gift makes room for him
And brings him before great men.

The first to plead his case seems right,
Until another comes and examines him.

Many will seek the favor of a generous man,
And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him;
How much more do his friends abandon him!
He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

A man of great anger will bear the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.

A righteous man who walks in his integrity—
How blessed are his sons after him.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth
That you may correctly answer him who sent you?

Do not hold back discipline from the child,
Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.

You shall strike him with the rod
And rescue his soul from Sheol.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

Or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

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

Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Like one who takes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.

When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may reply to him who reproaches me.

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge.

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning,
It will be reckoned a curse to him.

The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him.

Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury
Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding sees through him.

A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood
Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will in the end find him to be a son.

A man’s pride will bring him low,
But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

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

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

The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:

Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to him whose life is bitter.

Let him drink and forget his poverty
And remember his trouble no more.

She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?

I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?

For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him.

There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.

When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.

This also is a grievous evil—exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.

Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.

Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

In the day of prosperity be happy,
But in the day of adversity consider—
God has made the one as well as the other
So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.

Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.”

Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.

If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?

Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.

He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.

Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;

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

The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city.

Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;

“On my bed night after night I sought him
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.

‘I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.

“The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’