Remove the dross from the silver, and there cometh forth, to the refiner, a vessel:

Do not honour thyself before a king, nor, in the place of great men, do thou stand;

For better it be said to thee, Come up hither, - than that thou be put lower down before a noble, whom thine own eyes, have beheld.

Do not go forth to strive in haste, - lest thou know not what to do in the latter end thereof, when thy neighbour, hath put thee to shame.

Thy contention, urge thou with thy neighbour, and, the secret of another, do not reveal:

As the cold of snow in the day of harvest, is a faithful messenger to them who send him, - when, the life of his masters, he restoreth.

Honey having found, eat to suffice thee, lest thou loathe it, and vomit it forth.

A broken tooth and a faltering foot, is confidence in the treacherous, in the day of danger.

As splendour of dress on a cold day - vinegar upon nitre, so is a singer with songs, unto a sad heart.

If he that hateth thee hunger, give him bread to eat, and, if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;

As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is a good report from a far country.

To eat honey in abundance, is not good, nor is, searching out their own honour, an honourable thing.

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so, unbecoming to a dullard is honour.

Do not answer a dullard, according to his folly, lest, even thou thyself, become like him;

Answer a dullard according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.

Like tying a stone to a sling, so, is he that giveth honour, to a dullard.

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

As he who layeth hold of the ears of a dog, is a passer-by, who giveth vent to his wrath over a quarrel, not his!

Black coal to burning blocks, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man, for kindling strife.

Though he make gracious his voice, do not trust him, for, seven abominations, are in his heart:

Do not boast thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

The surfeited soul, trampleth upon droppings from the comb, but, to the hungry soul, every bitter thing, is sweet.

Thine own friend and thy father's friend, do not thou forsake; but, the house of thy brother, do not enter, in thy day of calamity, Better a neighbour near, than a brother far off.

He that blesseth his friend, with a loud voice, in the morning early, a reproach, shall it be reckoned to him.

A continuous dripping on a day of downpour, and a contentious wife, are alike:

As in water, face answereth to face, so, the heart of man to man.

Fining pot for silver, and crucible for gold, and, a man, is to be tried by what he praiseth.

Note well, the appearance of thy flock, apply thy mind to thy herds;

For, not age-abiding, are riches, nor is the diadem, from generation to generation: -

Better a poor man walking in his integrity, than one who is crooked - turning two ways, though, he, be rich.

He that keepeth instruction, is a son with discernment, but, a companion of squanderers, bringeth shame to his father.

He that increaseth his substance by interest and profit, for one ready to favour the poor, doth gather it.

He that walketh with integrity, shall be saved, but, he that is crooked, turning two ways, shall fall in one.

A man of fidelity, aboundeth in blessings, but, one hasting to be rich, shall not be held innocent.

To take note of faces in judgment , is not good, and, for a bit of bread, a man will transgress.

A man, hasting to be rich, hath an evil eye, and knoweth not when want may overtake him.

He that robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, companion, is he to one who wasteth.

One who giveth to the poor, shall have no want, but, he that hideth his eyes, shall receive many a curse.

A king, by justice, shall establish a land, - but, a man open to bribes, bringeth it to ruin.

Men given to mockery, inflame a city, - but, wise men, turn away anger.

When a ruler giveth heed to the word of falsehood, all his attendants, become lawless.

When a king judgeth faithfully the poor, his throne, to futurity, shall be established.

A rod with rebuke, giveth wisdom, but, a youth unrestrained, bringeth shame to his mother.

Correct thy son, that he may give thee rest, that he may give delight to thy soul.

A man given to anger, stirreth up strife, and, he that exceedeth in wrath, aboundeth in transgression.

An abomination to the righteous, is the man of perversity, and, an abomination to the lawless, is a man of straightforward way.

Surely, more brutish, am, I, than any man, nor doth, the understanding of a son of earth, pertain to me;

Who hath ascended the heavens and then descended? Who hath gathered the wind into his two hands? Who hath wrapped up the waters in a mantle? Who hath set up all the ends of the earth? What is his name and what the name of his son, when thou knowest?

Every saying of God is refined, A shield, is, he, to them who seek refuge in him.

Do not add unto his words, lest he convict thee, and thou be found false.

Two things, have I asked of thee, withhold them not from me, ere yet I die:

Lest I be full, and deny, and say - Who is Yahweh? or lest I be impoverished and steal, and do violence to the Name of my God.

Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he revile thee, and thou be found guilty.

A generation! Swords, are its teeth, and, knives, its incisors, - to devour the humbled out of the earth, and the needy, from among men.

The vampire, hath two daughters, Give! Give! Three, there are will not be satisfied, four, have not said, Enough!

The eye that mocketh a father, and despiseth to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young of the eagle shall eat it.

Three, things there are, too difficult for me, yea, four, which I do not understand:

King, is there none, to, the locusts, - yet go forth in swarms, do they all;

If thou hast acted basely by lifting thyself up, - if thou hast plotted evil, put thy hand to thy mouth!

Do not give, to women, thy strength, nor thy ways, to them who ruin kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor, for dignitaries, to desire strong drink,

Give strong drink, to him that is perishing, and wine, to such as are embittered in soul:

And she riseth, while yet it is night, and giveth food to her household, and a task to her maidens:

Her hands, she putteth forth to the distaff, and, her palms, lay hold of the spindle:

Her palm, she spreadeth out to the oppressed, and, her hands, she extendeth to the needy:

Fine linen wraps, she maketh and selleth, and, girdles, doth she deliver to the trader:

Strength and dignity, are her clothing, and she laugheth at the time to come:

She looketh well to the goings of her household, and, the bread of idleness, will she not eat.

All the streams, flow into the sea, yet, the sea, is not full, - unto the place whither the streams flow, thither, do they again flow.

All words, are weak, unable is any man to tell, - not satisfied is the eye by seeing, nor filled is the ear with hearing.

And I gave my heart to seek and to search out, wisely, concerning all things which are done under the heavens, - the same, is the vexatious employment God hath given to the sons of men, to work toilsomely therein,

yea I have given my heart, to know wisdom, and to know madness, and folly, - I know that, even this, is a feeding on wind.

Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?

I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, - but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.

I made me pools of water, - to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:

Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, - for what can the man do more who cometh after the king? save that which, already, men have done.

As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, - but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.

Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.

For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, - seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?

Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, - concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.

For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, - yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.

For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, - whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.

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

A time to kill, and a time to heal, - A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh, - A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to heap up stones, - A time to embrace, and a time to be far from loving embrace;

A time to seek, and a time to give up as lost, - A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew, - A time to be silent, and a time to speak;

A time to love and a time to hate, - A time of war, and a time of peace.

I looked at the employment which God hath given to the sons of men, to work therein:

I know that there is no blessedness in them, - save to be glad, and to do well with one's life.

I know, that, whatsoever God doeth, the same, shall be age-abiding, unto it, there is nothing to add, and, from it, there is nothing to take away, - and, God, hath done it, that men should stand in awe before him.

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.

all, go unto one place, - all, came from the dust, and all, return to the dust.

Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above, - or the spirit of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to the earth?

So I saw, that there was nothing better than that a man should be glad in his works, for, that, is his portion, - for who can bring him in, to look upon that which shall be after him?

Here is one, without a second, even son or brother, he hath none, yet is there no end to all his toil, even his eye, is not satisfied with riches, - neither saith he For whom, am I toiling, and letting my soul want good? Even this, was vanity, yea a vexatious employment, it was!

Better are two, than one, - in that they have a good reward for their toil.

For, if the one should fall, the other would raise up his companion, - but alas! for him who is alone when he falleth, with no second to raise him up!

Moreover, if two lie together, then have they warmth, - but how can, one, have warmth?