Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.

Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.

He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?

With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;

Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.

Let another man give you praise, and not your mouth; one who is strange to you, and not your lips.

Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?

The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.

Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.

Even if a foolish man is crushed with a hammer in a vessel among crushed grain, still his foolish ways will not go from him.

For wealth is not for ever, and money does not go on for all generations.

Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are not straight.

When the upright do well, there is great glory; but when evil-doers are lifted up, men do not let themselves be seen.

He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.

A man of good faith will have great blessing, but one attempting to get wealth quickly will not go free from punishment.

It is not good to have respect for a man's position: for a man will do wrong for a bit of bread.

He who is ever desiring wealth goes running after money, and does not see that need will come on him.

He who gives to the poor will never be in need, but great curses will be on him who gives no attention to them.

A man hating sharp words and making his heart hard, will suddenly be broken and will not be made well again.

A man who says smooth things to his neighbour is stretching out a net for his steps.

In the steps of an evil man there is a net for him, but the upright man gets away quickly and is glad.

The rod and sharp words give wisdom: but a child who is not guided is a cause of shame to his mother.

A servant will not be trained by words; for though the sense of the words is clear to him, he will not give attention.

I have not got wisdom by teaching, so that I might have the knowledge of the Holy One.

I have made request to you for two things; do not keep them from me before my death:

Put far from me all false and foolish things: do not give me great wealth or let me be in need, but give me only enough food:

Do not say evil of a servant to his master, or he will put a curse on you, and you will get into trouble.

There is a generation who put a curse on their father, and do not give a blessing to their mother.

There is a generation who seem to themselves to be free from sin, but are not washed from their unclean ways.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, their strong teeth like knives, for the destruction of the poor from the earth, and of those who are in need from among men.

The night-spirit has two daughters, Give, give. There are three things which are never full, even four which never say, Enough:

For three things the earth is moved, and there are four which it will not put up with:

The ants are a people not strong, but they put by a store of food in the summer;

The lion, which is strongest among beasts, not turning from his way for any;

Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which is the destruction of kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to take wine, or for rulers to say, Where is strong drink?

Let him have drink, and his need will go from his mind, and the memory of his trouble will be gone.

Let your mouth be open, judging rightly, and give right decisions in the cause of the poor and those in need.

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

She gets up while it is still night, and gives meat to her family, and their food to her servant-girls.

She sees that her marketing is of profit to her: her light does not go out by night.

Her hands are stretched out to the poor; yes, she is open-handed to those who are in need.

Her husband is a man of note in the public place, when he takes his seat among the responsible men of the land.

She gives attention to the ways of her family, she does not take her food without working for it.

All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.

All things are full of weariness; man may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.

That which is bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.

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.

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.

Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose.

Yes, happier than the dead or the living seemed he who has not ever been, who has not seen the evil which is done under the sun.

And two attacked by one would be safe, and three cords twisted together are not quickly broken.

A young man who is poor and wise is better than a king who is old and foolish and will not be guided by the wisdom of others.

Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth--so let not the number of your words be great.

It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

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.

If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.

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

And though he goes on living a thousand years twice over and does not see good, are not the two going to the same place?

It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.

Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.

In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.

Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?

Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?

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.

Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.

For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.

Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.

No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.

Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.

But it will not be well for the evil-doer; he will not make his days long like a shade, because he has no fear before God.

When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.

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.

The living are conscious that death will come to them, but the dead are not conscious of anything, and they no longer have a reward, because there is no memory of them.

Let your clothing be white at all times, and let not your head be without oil.

And again I saw under the sun that the reward goes not to him who is quick, or the fruits of war to the strong; and there is no bread for the wise, or wealth for men of learning, or respect for those who have knowledge; but time and chance come to all.

Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is not respected, and his words are not given a hearing.

If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.

Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.

Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.

He who is watching the wind will not get the seed planted, and he who is looking at the clouds will not get in the grain.

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.

Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength, while the evil days come not, and the years are far away when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not dark, and the clouds come not back after the rain;

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.

Let not your eyes be turned on me, because I am dark, because I was looked on by the sun; my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vine-gardens; but my vine-garden I have not kept.

If you have not knowledge, O most beautiful among women, go on your way in the footsteps of the flock, and give your young goats food by the tents of the keepers.

As a bag of myrrh is my well-loved one to me, when he is at rest all night between my breasts.

I say to you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes of the field, do not let love be moved till it is ready.

By night on my bed I was looking for him who is the love of my soul: I was looking for him, but I did not see him.

I will get up now and go about the town, in the streets and in the wide ways I will go after him who is the love of my soul: I went after him, but I did not see him.

I was but a little way from them, when I came face to face with him who is the love of my soul. I took him by the hands, and did not let him go, till I had taken him into my mother's house, and into the room of her who gave me birth.