Better is a handful with quietness, than both hands full with labour and pursuit of the wind.

There is one alone and without a second; also he hath neither son nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, and he saith not, For whom then am I labouring, and depriving my soul of good? This also is vanity and a grievous occupation.

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and who hath not another to lift him up!

And if a man overpower the one, the two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Better is a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth no more how to be admonished.

There is no end of all the people, of all that stood before them; those however that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in the heavens, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter; for a higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they.

Moreover the earth is every way profitable: the king himself is dependent upon the field.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This also is vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what profit is there to the owner thereof, except the beholding of them with his eyes?

The sleep of the labourer is sweet, whether he have eaten little or much; but the fulness of the rich doth not suffer him to sleep.

There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt;

or those riches perish by some evil circumstance, and if he have begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go away again as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came so doth he go away, and what profit hath he, in having laboured for the wind?

Behold what I have seen good and comely: it is to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour wherewith man laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for that is his portion.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and power to eat thereof, and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour: that is a gift of God.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among men:

one to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, and he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and a sore evil.

If a man beget a hundred sons, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, but his soul be not filled with good, and also he have no burial, I say an untimely birth is better than he.

For it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness;

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

For what advantage hath the wise above the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

That which is hath already been named; and what man is, is known, and that he cannot contend with him that is mightier than he.

For there are many things that increase vanity: what is man advantaged?

For who knoweth what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell man what shall be after him under the sun?

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: in that that is the end of all men, and the living taketh it to heart.

Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth.

It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a proud spirit.

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

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun.

For wisdom is a defence as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.

All this have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth by his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his days by his wickedness.

It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God cometh forth from them all.

Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men that are in a city.

Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.

All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?

and I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is nets and snares, and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.

Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.

because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.

For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;

There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.

And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.

but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

And I commended mirth, because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),

then I saw that all is the work of God, and that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek it out, yet doth he not find it; and even, if a wise man think to know it, he shall not be able to find it out.

For all this I laid to my heart and indeed to investigate all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; man knoweth neither love nor hatred: all is before them.

All things come alike to all: one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, that one thing befalleth all: yea, also the heart of the children of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live; and after that, they have to go to the dead.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy is already perished; neither have they any more for ever a portion in all that is done under the sun.

Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherein thou art labouring under the sun.

Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the intelligent, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are taken with the snare, like them are the children of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

This also have I seen as wisdom under the sun, and it was great unto me.

and there was found in it a poor wise man, who by his wisdom delivered the city; but no man remembered that poor man.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink and ferment; so a little folly is weightier than wisdom and honour.

The heart of a wise man is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his sense faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

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

folly is set in great dignities, but the rich sit in a low place.

I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

He that diggeth a pit falleth into it; and whoso breaketh down a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success.

The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool swallow up himself.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything.

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child, even so thou knowest not the work of God who maketh all.

Now the light is sweet, and pleasant is it to the eyes to see the sun;

but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many: all that cometh is vanity.

and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;

they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets;)

and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.

And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.

The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections of them as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.

And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.