Do not lie in wait like the wicked against the place where the righteous live; do not assault his home.

lest the Lord see it, and be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him.

Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will pay him back according to what he has done."

I saw that thorns had grown up all over it, the ground was covered with weeds, and its stone wall was broken down.

When I saw this, I gave careful consideration to it; I received instruction from what I saw:

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter.

for it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than to put you lower before a prince, whom your eyes have seen.

Do not go out hastily to litigation, or what will you do afterward when your neighbor puts you to shame?

lest the one who hears it put you to shame and your infamy will never go away.

When you find honey, eat only what is sufficient for you, lest you become stuffed with it and vomit it up.

Like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint, so is confidence in an unfaithful person at the time of trouble.

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

It is better to live on a corner of the housetop than in a house in company with a quarrelsome wife.

It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable for people to seek their own glory.

Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passer-by.

The sluggard plunges his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

Where there is no wood, a fire goes out, and where there is no gossip, contention ceases.

Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious person to kindle strife.

The one who hates others disguises it with his lips, but he stores up deceit within him.

The one who digs a pit will fall into it; the one who rolls a stone -- it will come back on him.

A lying tongue hates those crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself, but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it.

If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him.

The one who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever takes care of his master will be honored.

When a country is rebellious it has many princes, but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable order is maintained.

Evil people do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it all.

The one who increases his wealth by increasing interest gathers it for someone who is gracious to the needy.

The one who leads the upright astray in an evil way will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.

When the righteous rejoice, great is the glory, but when the wicked rise to power, people are sought out.

The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered, but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall at once.

A king brings stability to a land by justice, but one who exacts tribute tears it down.

A fool lets fly with all his temper, but a wise person keeps it back.

Many people seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that one receives justice.

Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended? Who has gathered up the winds in his fists? Who has bound up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? -- if you know!

Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar.

There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness.

The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother -- the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it.

Under three things the earth trembles, and under four things it cannot bear up:

a lizard you can catch with the hand, but it gets into the palaces of the king.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,

lest they drink and forget what is decreed, and remove from all the poor their legal rights.

She also gets up while it is still night, and provides food for her household and a portion to her female servants.

She considers a field and buys it; from her own income she plants a vineyard.

She knows that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out in the night.

She extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.

She is clothed with strength and honor, and she can laugh at the time to come.

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Give her credit for what she has accomplished, and let her works praise her in the city gates.

What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?

The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.

The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round the wind goes and on its rounds it returns.

All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

Is there anything about which someone can say, "Look at this! It is new!"? It was already done long ago, before our time.

No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.

What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.

I thought to myself, "Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile." But I found that it also is futile.

I said of partying, "It is folly," and of self-indulgent pleasure, "It accomplishes nothing!"

I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine (all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.

I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight -- a harem of beautiful concubines!

So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity:

Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: "All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless -- like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth."

Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king's successor do than what the king has already done?

The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

So I thought to myself, "The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?" So I lamented to myself, "The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!"

So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile -- like chasing the wind.

So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.

For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth -- only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile -- like chasing the wind!

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;

What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?

God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.

and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.

I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.

Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.

I also thought to myself, "It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.

So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

So I again considered all the oppression that continually occurs on earth. This is what I saw: The oppressed were in tears, but no one was comforting them; no one delivers them from the power of their oppressors.

Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless -- like chasing the wind.

The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.

A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments, "For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is futile and a burdensome task!

For he came out of prison to become king, even though he had been born poor in what would become his kingdom.

There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.

Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow!

It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it.

Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, "It was a mistake!" Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?"

When someone's prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?

This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God.

Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor -- instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.