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

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

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

Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

All this, have I proved by wisdom, - I said, I will be wise, but, that, was far from me.

That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?

I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things , and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

I myself found [that] more bitter than death [is] the woman who [is] a trap, whose heart [is] a snare, and whose hands [are] bonds. The one who pleases God escapes from her, but the sinner is caught by her.

Behold - sayeth the preacher - this have I diligently searched out and proved, that I might come by knowledge: which as yet I seek, and find it not.

(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.

Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

I counsel thee , Keep the king's command, and that in regard of the oath of God.

Be not troubled at his presence, thou mayest go, stand not in an evil thing, for all that he pleaseth he doth.

Because the word of a king is that which has power; and who may say to him, What are you doing?

He that observeth the commandment, will not notice a vexatious thing, - and, of time and manner, will the heart of the wise take note.

For everything will have opportunity and judgment, and this the thing that maketh men full of carefulness and sorrow.

for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is 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 wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt.

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.

Because now that evil works are not hastily punished, the heart of man giveth himself over unto wickedness.

Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days , yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him:

Again, as for the ungodly, it shall not be well with him, neither shall he prolong his days: but even as a shadow, so shall he be that feareth not 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; again, there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor all 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 beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

All things come alike to all: there is 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; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

For to him that is joined with 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.

As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun.

All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.

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 men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; 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 caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me:

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

So I concluded that wisdom [is] better than might, yet the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.

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

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to send forth a foul odor: so does a little folly to him that is respected for wisdom and honor.

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

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

in that a fool sitteth in great dignity, and the rich are set down beneath.

He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.

Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.

If a serpent will bite, unless he is charmed, then there is nothing better for him that owneth a tongue.

A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

That land is blessed whose king is of noble birth, whose princes feast at the right time, for strength, and not to become drunk.

Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.

In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

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

Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Therefore, remove sorrow and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, for childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, 'I have no pleasure in them.'

While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,

yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors'shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:

While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, - still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.

The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.

For the words of the wise are like pricks and nails that go through, wherewith men are kept together: for they are given of one shepherd only.

Therefore beware, my son, that above these thou make them not many and innumerable books, nor take divers doctrines in hand, to weary thy body withal.

Now that all has been heard, here is the final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

The Song of Songs, that is Solomon's.

W Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.

and that because of the good and pleasant savour. Thy name is sweet smelling ointment when it is shed forth; therefore do the maidens love thee.

Take me with you—let us hurry.
Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers.

Y We will rejoice and be glad for you;
we will praise your love more than wine.

W It is only right that they adore you.

Do not look on me, that I am black, that the sun has looked on me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my vineyard I have not kept.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest thy flock , Where thou makest it to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions?

My beloved is unto me as a bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts.

“I am the rose [of the plain] of Sharon,
The lily of the valleys [that grows in deep places].”

I wish that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand were embracing me!

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the steep place, Let me see thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, That spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom.

SHEMy beloved, is, mine, and, I, am, his, he that pastureth among lilies!

(The Shulammite Bride)“On my bed night after night [I dreamed that] I sought the one
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.

The watchmen that go about the city found me; To whom I said , Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?

Lo, his couch, that is Solomon's, Sixty mighty ones are around it, Of the mighty of Israel,

“All of them handle the sword,
All expert in war;
Each man has his sword at his thigh,
Guarding against the terrors of the night.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly'shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them.

Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe, Which feed among the lilies.

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.

The fruits that sprout in thee are like a very Paradise of pomegranates with sweet fruits:

Awake, north wind, and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow forth. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat its precious fruits.

I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh,'saying , Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.

so that I stood up to open unto my beloved. My hands dropped with Myrrh, and the Myrrh ran down my fingers upon the lock.

I opened to my love,
but my love had turned and gone away.
I was crushed that he had left.
I sought him, but did not find him.
I called him, but he did not answer.