Wisdom Superior to Folly

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 mThere was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great 4snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

16 Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than nstrength.

Nevertheless othe poor man’s wisdom is despised,

And his words are not heard.

17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard

Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;

But pone sinner destroys much good.”

10 Dead 1flies 2putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odor;

So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left.

3 Even when a fool walks along the way,

He lacks wisdom,

aAnd he shows everyone that he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

bDo not leave your post;

For cconciliation 3pacifies great offenses.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

As an error proceeding from the ruler:

6 dFolly is set in 4great dignity,

While the rich sit in a lowly place.

7 I have seen servants eon horses,

While princes walk on the ground like servants.

8 fHe who digs a pit will fall into it,

And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,

And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.

10 If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,

Then he must use more strength;

But wisdom 5brings success.

11 A serpent may bite gwhen it is not charmed;

The 6babbler is no different.

12 hThe words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,

But ithe lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talk is raving madness.

14 jA fool also multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

Who can tell him kwhat will be after him?

15 The labor of fools wearies them,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!

16 lWoe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

And your princes feast in the morning!

17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,

And your mprinces feast at the proper time—

For strength and not for drunkenness!

18 Because of laziness the 7building decays,

And nthrough idleness of hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter,

And owine makes merry;

But money answers everything.

20 pDo not curse the king, even in your thought;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air may carry your voice,

And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

The Value of Diligence

11 Cast your bread aupon the waters,

bFor you will find it after many days.

2 cGive a serving dto seven, and also to eight,

eFor you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

4 He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5 As fyou do not know what is the way of the 1wind,

gOr how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.

7 Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes hto behold the sun;

8 But if a man lives many years

And irejoices in them all,

Yet let him jremember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

kWalk in the 2ways of your heart,

And 3in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these

lGod will bring you into judgment.

10 Therefore remove 4sorrow from your heart,

And mput away evil from your flesh,

nFor childhood and 5youth are vanity.

12 Remember anow your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the 1difficult days come,

And the years draw near bwhen you say,

“I have no pleasure in them”:

2 While the sun and the light,

The moon and the stars,

Are not darkened,

And the clouds do not return after the rain;

3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,

And the strong men bow down;

When the grinders cease because they are few,

And those that look through the windows grow dim;

4 When the doors are shut in the streets,

And the sound of grinding is low;

When one rises up at the sound of a bird,

And all cthe daughters of music are brought low.

5 Also they are afraid of height,

And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,

The grasshopper is a burden,

And desire fails.

For man goes to dhis eternal home,

And ethe mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is 2loosed,

Or the golden bowl is broken,

Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,

Or the wheel broken at the well.

7 fThen the dust will return to the earth as it was,

gAnd the spirit will return to God hwho gave it.

8 “Vanity iof vanities,” says the Preacher,

“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and jset 3in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find 4acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of 5scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and kmuch study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

lFear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

14 For mGod will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil.