Thy laws were musics to me in the house of my sojourning.

I gave thought to my steps, and my feet were turned into the way of your unchanging word.

Though the ropes of the wicked
were wrapped around me,
I did not forget Your instruction.

Unless Thy law were my delights, Then had I perished in mine affliction.

How smooth were thy words to my palate I more than honey to my mouth!

You remove all the wicked on earth
as if they were dross;
therefore, I love Your decrees.

I saw with hate those who were untrue to you; for they did not keep your saying.

I was glad, when they were saying unto me, Unto the house of Yahweh, let us go!

Our feet were standing in the gates of Jeursalem.

For there were set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

Compassionate us, O Jehovah, compassionate us: for we were much filled with contempt

they had swallowed us up alive, when they were so wrathfully displeased at us.

Our soul as a sparrow was delivered from the snare of the fowlers: the snare was broken and we were delivered.

[A song of ascents.] When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Our mouths were filled with laughter then,
and our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.

If you, O Lord, were to keep track of sins, O Lord, who could stand before you?

Song of ascensions to David. O Jehovah, my heart was not lifted up, and mine eyes were not exalted, and I went not in great things and in wonders above me.

By him Pharaoh and his army were overturned in the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

Who kept us in mind when we were in trouble: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

By the rivers of Babylon we were seated, weeping at the memory of Zion,

All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O Lord,
When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled].

If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.

If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea,

If I were to say, "Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,"

My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes did see my substance, being yet unformed; and in your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

And to me how were thy thoughts precious, O God! how were their heads strong!

Were I to count them, they would number more than the sand. When I awake, I will be with you.

For they will say to thee for mischief; thine enemies were lifted up for vanity.

My hate for them is complete; my thoughts of them are as if they were making war on me.

[When] their judges are thrown down [the] sides of a cliff, then they will understand that my words were pleasant.

As he cutting up and cleaving asunder in the earth, our bones were scattered at the mouth of hades.

Attend to my cry, for I languished greatly: deliver me from those pursuing me, for they were strengthened above me.

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;

You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:

For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:

They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.

By his knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.

I did not give attention to the voice of my teachers, my ear was not turned to those who were guiding me!

“I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.

suddenly to follow her - as it were an ox to the slaughter, and like as it were a fool that laugheth when he goeth to the stocks to be punished -

for she hath cast down many wounded, and all slain by her were strong.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

When he made strong the skies overhead: when the fountains of the deep were fixed:

Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Hand to hand, the evil one shall not be unpunished: and the seed of the just were delivered.

No iniquity shall approach to the just one: and the unjust were filled with evil.

An abandoned man, diggeth up mischief, - and, upon his lips, as it were a fire is scorching.

It were better to come against a she Bear robbed of her whelps, than against a fool in his foolishness.

The crafty saw evil, and he will hide, and the simple passed on and were punished.

Don't be envious of wicked men or wish you were with them,

And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.

The legs of the lame were weak, and a parable in the mouth of the foolish.

The prudent one saw the evil, he hid himself; the simple passed and were punished.

A dropping thrust forth in the day of rain and a woman of strifes were alike.

The grass was uncovered and the young herbage was seen; and the green plants of the mountains were gathered.

A generation, how its eyes were raised up and its eyelashes will be lifted up.

They three were wonderful above me; and four, I knew them not:

She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry.
Her clothing is linen, pure and fine, and purple [wool].

Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us.

I saw all the works which were done under the sun, - and lo! all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

for thereunto I applied my mind: that I might know what were wisdom and understanding, what were error and foolishness. And I perceived that this also was but a vexation of mind:

So I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, to apply my mind unto wisdom, and to comprehend foolishness until the time that among all the things which are under the Sun, I might see what were best for men to do, so long as they live under heaven.

I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;

I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem;

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

I also examined on earth: where the halls of justice were supposed to be, there was lawlessness; and where the righteous were supposed to be, there was lawlessness. 17I told myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time set to judge every event and every work."

Said, I, in my heart, as concerning the sons of men, That God was minded to prove them, - and that they might see, that they were beasts, of themselves.

For, as regardeth the destiny of the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one spirit, have they all, - and, the pre-eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity:

All go to one place; all were from dust, and all turned back to dust.

Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

So, I, pronounced happy the dead, who were, already, dead, - more than the living, who were living, still;

And good above them two which were not yet, which saw not the evil work which was done under the sun.

There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead.

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.

In the multitude of good they were multiplied eating it: and what the success to its possessors but seeing with his eyes?

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches [were] kept by the owner of it to his hurt.

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

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years -- even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity -- even if he were to live forever -- I would say, "A stillborn child is better off than he is!"

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

Wisdom shall strengthen to the wise one more than ten having power which were in the city.

So I saw the wicked buried, and they came to the grave ; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity.

Here was a vain thing which was done upon the earth - that there were righteous men unto whom it happened according to the work of the lawless, and there were lawless men, unto whom it happened according to the work of the righteous, - I said, that, even this, was vanity.

For, unto all this, I applied my heart, and, my heart, considered all this, that, the righteous and the wise and their servants, were in the hand of God, - neither love nor hatred, could any man know, every one, was before Him.

For, indeed, man could not know his own time, like fishes which were caught in a cruel net, and like little birds which were caught in a trap, - like them, were ensnared the sons of men, by a time of misfortune, when it fell upon them suddenly.

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.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

Folly was given to great heights, and the rich were set in lowness.

I see servants ride upon horses, and princes going upon their feet as it were servants.

In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;

And the doors were shut in the street, in the lowness of the voice of the grinding, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of the song shall bow down;

The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails planted of the masters of the gatherings; they were given from one shepherd.

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

Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, Because the sun hath scorched me. My mother's sons were incensed against me; They made me keeper of the vineyards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept.