For they that be living, know that they shall die: but they that be dead, know nothing, neither deserve they anymore. For their memorial is forgotten,

so that they be neither loved, hated nor envied: neither have they anymore part in the world, in all that is done under the Sun.

Let thy garments be always white, and let thy head want none ointment.

So I turned me unto other things under the Sun, and I saw that in running it helpeth not to be swift; in battle it helpeth not to be strong; to feeding it helpeth not to be wise; to riches, it helpeth not to be suttle; to be had in favour, it helpeth not to be cunning: but that all lieth in time and fortune.

If a principal spirit be given thee to bear rule, be not negligent then in thine office: for so shall great wickedness be put down, as it were with a medicine.

Whoso removeth stones shall have travail withal; and he that heweth wood, shall be hurt therewith.

When an iron is blunt, and the point not sharpened, it must be whet again, and that with might. Even so doth wisdom follow diligence.

Woe be unto thee, O thou realm and land, whose king is but a child, and whose princes are early at their banquets.

When the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth. And when the tree falleth, whether it be toward the South or North, in what place soever it fall, there it lieth.

Cease not thou therefore with thy hands to sow thy seed, whether it be in the morning or in the evening: for then knowest not whether this or that shall prosper, and if they both take, it is the better.

If a man live many years, and be glad in them all, let him remember the days of darkness, which shall be many: And when they come, all things shall be but vanity.

Be glad then, O thou young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart be merry in thy young days; follow the ways of thine own heart, and the lust of thine eyes: but be thou sure, that God shall bring thee into judgment for all these things.

before the sun, the light, the moon and stars be darkened, and or the clouds turn again after the rain;

when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and when the strong men shall bow themselves; when the millers stand still, because they be so few, and when the sight of the windows shall wax dim;

when the doors in the streets shall be shut, and when the voice of the miller shall be laid down; when men shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and when all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

When men shall fear in high places, and be afraid in the streets; when the Almond tree shall be despised, the grasshopper born out, and when great poverty shall break in; when man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.

Before the silver lace be taken away, and or the golden band be broken; or the pot be broken at the well, and the wheel upon the cistern;

Or dust be turned again unto earth from whence it came, and or the spirit return unto God, which gave it.

For God shall judge all works and secret things, whether they be good or evil.

Draw thou me unto thee; we will run after thee. The king hath brought me into his privy chamber: We will be glad and rejoice in thee, we think more of thy love than of wine. They that be righteous love thee.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest the sheep, where thou maketh the rest at the noon day: for why shall I be like him that goeth wrong about the flocks of thy companions?

There will I tarry for thee, my love, with mine host and with my chariots, which shall be no fewer than Pharaoh's.

Then shall thy cheeks and thy neck be made fair, and hanged with spangles and goodly jewels:

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the Roes and hinds of the field, that ye wake not up my love nor touch her, till she be content herself.

until the day break, and till the shadows be gone. Come again privily, O my beloved, like as a Roe or a young hart unto the mountains.

By night in my bed I sought him, whom my soul loveth: yea, diligently sought I him, but I found him not.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the Roes, and Hinds of the field, that ye wake not up my love nor touch her, till she be content herself.

O how fair art thou, my love, how fair art thou? Thou hast doves' eyes, beside that which lieth hid within. Thy hairy locks are like the wool of a flock of goats that be shorn on Mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like sheep that be clipped, which go first up from the washing place: where every one beareth two twins, and not one unfruitful among them.

O that I might go to the mountain of Myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense, till the day break, and till the shadows be past away.

Up thou North wind, come thou South wind, and blow upon my garden, that the smell thereof may be carried on every side: yea, that my beloved may come into my garden, and eat of the fruits and apples that grow therein.

Come into my garden O my sister, my Spouse: I have gathered my Myrrh with my spice. I will eat my honey and my honeycomb, I will drink my wine and my milk. Eat, O ye friends, drink and be merry, O ye beloved.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the water brooks, as though they were washed with milk and set like pearls in gold.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that be clipped, which go out of the washing place: where every one beareth two twins, and not one unfruitful among them.

I went down into the nut garden, to see what grew by the brooks, to look if the vineyard flourished, and if the pomegranates were shot forth.

O how pleasant are thy treadings, with thy shoes, thou prince's daughter? The joint of thy thighs are like a fair jewel, which is wrought by a cunning work master;

Thy neck is as it were a tower of ivory; thine eyes are like the water pools in Heshbon, by the port of Bathrabbim. Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon, which looketh toward Damascus.

I said, I will climb up the date tree, and take hold of his branches. Thy breasts also shall be as the vine grapes, the smell of thy nostrils like the smell of apples,

and thy throat like the best wine. This shall be pure and clear for my love, his lips and teeth shall have their pleasure.

In the morning will we rise betimes, and go see the vineyard: if it be sprung forth, if the grapes be grown, and if the pomegranates be shot out. There will I give thee my breasts;

O that I might find thee without, and kiss thee, whom I love as my brother which sucked my mother's breasts: and that thou wouldest not be offended,

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, that ye wake not up my love, nor touch her, till she be content herself. What is she, this that cometh up from the wilderness, and leaneth upon her love?

Our sister is but young, and hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister when she shall be spoken for?

If she be a wall, we shall build a silver bulwark thereupon: if she be an open door, we shall fasten her with boards of Cedar tree.

Wherefore should ye be plagued any more? For ye are ever falling away. The whole head is sick, and the heart is very heavy.

From the sole of the foot unto the head, there is no whole part in all your body: but all are wounds, botches, sores and stripes, which can neither be helped, bound up, mollified, nor eased with any ointment.

Your land lieth waste, your cities are burnt up, your enemies devour your land, and ye must be fain to stand, and look upon it: and it is desolate, as it were with enemies in a battle.

Thus saith the LORD God: Wash and be clean; put away the wickedness of your imaginations out of my sight. Cease to do evil and learn to do well.

And so though your sins be like to purple, they shall be made as white as snow; and though they be as red as scarlet, they shall be made like white wool.

But if ye be obstinate and rebellious, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for thus the LORD hath promised with his own mouth.

and set thy judges again as they were sometime, and thy Senators as they were from the beginning. Then shalt thou be called the righteous city, the faithful city.

But Zion shall be redeemed with equity, and they shall turn again unto her in righteousness.

For the transgressors and ungodly, and such as are become unfaithful unto the LORD, must altogether be utterly destroyed.

For they shall be ashamed of the gods that you longed for. And you shall be put to shame for the idols and grove gardens that ye have chosen.

Ye shall be as an oak whose leaves are fallen away, and as a garden that hath no moistness.

And as for the glory of your graven images, it shall be turned to dry straw, and he that made them to a spark. And they shall both burn together, so that no man shall be able to quench them.

It shall come to pass in the last days that the mount of the house of the LORD, shall be set in the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills: and all nations shall resort thereto.

And he shall be judge among the heathen and tell many nations their faults. And they shall turn their swords into mattocks and their spears into scythes. One nation shall not lift up a sword against another, neither shall they teach to war any more.

which casteth down the high looks of presumptuous persons, and bringeth low the pride of man, and the LORD only shall be exalted in that day.

But the Idols shall utterly be rooted out.

And I shall give you children to be your princes, sayeth the LORD, and babes shall have the rule of you.

One shall ever be doing violence and wrong to another. The boy shall presume against the elder, and the vile person against the honorable.

Yea, one shall take a friend of his own kindred by the bosom, and say, "Thou hast clothing, thou shalt be our head, for thou mayest keep us from this fall and peril."

The changing of their countenance betrayeth them; yea, they declare their own sins themselves, as Sodom, and hide them not. Woe be unto their souls, for they shall be heavily rewarded.

But woe be unto the ungodly and unrighteous, for they shall be rewarded after their works.

And instead of good smell there shall be stink among them. And for their girdles there shall be loose bands. And for well set hair there shall be baldness. Instead of a stomacher, a sackcloth; and for their beauty, witheredness and sunburning.

Then shall seven wives take hold of one man, and say, "We will lay all our meat and clothing together in common, only that we may be called thy wives, and that this shameful reproof may be taken from us."

After that time shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and mighty, and the fruit of the earth shall be fair and pleasant for those Israelites that shall spring thereof.

Then shall the remnant in Zion and the remnant at Jerusalem be called holy - namely, all such as are written among the living at Jerusalem -

Moreover upon all the dwellings of the hill of Zion and upon their whole congregation, shall the LORD provide a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for all their glory shall be preserved.

And Jerusalem shall be a tabernacle for a shadow because of heat in the daytime, and place and refuge where a man may keep him from weather and rain.

Well, now I shall tell you how I will do with my vineyard: I will take the hedge from it, that it may perish, and break down the wall, that it may be trodden under foot.

I will lay it waste, that it shall neither be twisted nor cut, but bear thorns and briers. I will also forbid the clouds, that they shall not rain upon it.

Woe be unto you that join one house to another, and bring one land so nigh unto another, that the poor can get no more ground. Will ye dwell upon the earth alone?

The LORD of Hosts roundeth me thus in mine ear: Shall not many greater and more gorgeous houses be so waste, that no man shall dwell in them?

Thus shall man have a fall; he shall be brought low, and the high looks of the proud shall be laid down.

But the LORD of Hosts, that holy God: shall be exalted and untouched, when he shall declare his equity and righteousness after this manner.

Woe be unto vain persons, that draw wickedness unto them with cords of vanity; and sin, as it were with a cart rope.

Woe be unto them that call evil good, and good evil: which make darkness light, and light darkness, that make sour sweet, and sweet sour.

Woe be unto them that are wise in their own sight, and think themselves to have understanding.

Woe be unto them that are cunning men to sup out wine and expert to set up drunkenness.

In that day they shall be so fierce upon them, as the sea. And if we look unto the land, behold, it shall be all darkness and sorrow. If we look to heaven: behold, it shall be dark with careful desperation.

After this I heard the voice of the LORD, taking advisement on this manner, "Whom shall I send, and who will be our messenger?" Then I said, "Here am I, send me."

Harden the heart of this people, stop their ears, and shut their eyes, that they see not with their eyes, hear not with their ears, and understand not with their heart, and convert and be healed."

Then spake I, "LORD, how long?" And he answered, "Until the cities be utterly without inhabiters, and the houses without men, till the land be also desolate, and lie unbuilded.

Nevertheless, the tenth part shall remain therein, for it shall convert and be fruitful. And likewise as the Terebinths and Oak trees in winter cast their leaves and yet have their sap in them, so shall the holy seed continue in their substance."

Then said God unto Isaiah, "Go meet Ahaz, thou and thy son Shearjashub, at the head of the over pole, in the foot path by the fuller's ground,

and say unto him, 'Take heed to thyself and be still, but fear not, neither be fainthearted for these two tails: that is, for these two smoking firebrands, the wrath and furiousness of Rezin the Syrian and Remaliah's son.

For the head city of the Syrians is Damascus, but the head of Damascus is Rezin. And after five and threescore years, shall Ephraim be no more a people.

And the chief city of Ephraim is Samaria, but the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. And if ye believe not, there shall no promise be kept with you.'"

Wherefore the LORD said, "Hearken, ye of the house of David: Is it so small a thing for you, to be grievous to men, but that ye should also be painful unto God?

Neverthelater, yet the Lord, he will give you a sign. Behold: a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

For before the child come to knowledge, to eschew the evil and chose the good, the land that thou so abhorest shall be desolate of both her kings.

At the same time all vineyards - though there be a thousand vines in one, and were sold for a thousand silverlings - shall be turned to briers and thorns.

And as for all hills that now are hewn down, thou shalt not come upon them, for fear of briers and thorns. But the cattle shall be driven thither, and the sheep shall feed there."

For why? Before the child shall have knowledge to say 'Abi' and 'Im'," - that is, father, and mother - "the riches of Damascus and the substance of Samaria shall be taken away, through the king of the Assyrians."

And shall break in upon Judah, increasing in power, till he get him by the throat. He shall fill also the wideness of thy land with his broad wings, O Immanuel."

Go together ye people, and gather you, hearken to all ye of far countries. Muster you, and you shall be broken down: prepare you to battle and you shall be torn in pieces.

For the LORD chastised me, and took me by the hand, and warned me, saying unto me that I should not walk in the ways of this people. He said moreover,

"Round with none of them, whosoever say, 'Yonder people are bound together.' Nevertheless fear them not, neither be afraid of them,