⁷ Even a wise man will become foolish
    if he lets money change his thinking.

⁸ It is better to finish something
    than to start it.
It is better to be patient
    than to be proud.
⁹ Don’t become mad quickly,
    because getting angry is foolish.

¹⁰ Don’t ask, “Why was life better in the ‘good old days’?”
    It is not wise to ask such questions.

¹¹ Wisdom is as good to have as inheriting property.
    It helps people see what to do.
¹² Wisdom is like money.
    They both help a person.
But wisdom is better than money,
    because it can save a person’s life.

¹⁹ Wisdom gives a person strength.
    One wise man is stronger than ten leaders in a city.

²⁰ Surely there is not a good man on earth
    who always does good and never sins.

²¹ Don’t listen to everything people say.
    You might hear your servant insulting you.
²² You know that many times
    you also have insulted others.

²³ I used wisdom to test all these things.
I wanted to be wise,
    but it was too hard for me.
²⁴ I cannot understand why things are as they are.
    It is too hard for anyone to understand.
²⁵ I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom.
    I tried to find some meaning for everything.
I learned that it is foolish to be evil.
    And it is crazy to act like a fool.

²⁶ I found that some women are worse than death.
    They are as dangerous as traps.
Their love is like a net.
    Their arms hold men like chains.
A man who follows God will run away from them.
    But a sinner will be caught by them.

10 Dead flies will make even perfume smell bad.
    In the same way, a little foolishness can ruin
    a wise man’s fame for wisdom.
² A wise man’s heart leads him in the right way.
    But the heart of a foolish person leads him in the wrong way.
³ A foolish person is not wise.
    It shows in everything he does.
Even as he walks along the road,
    he shows everyone how stupid he is.
⁴ Don’t leave your job
    just because the ruler is angry with you.
Remain calm.
    It will help correct your mistakes.

⁵ Here is something else unfair that happens here on earth.
    It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
⁶ Foolish people are given important positions
    while rich people are given less important ones.
⁷ I have seen servants ride on horses
    while princes walk beside them on foot.
⁸ Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
    Anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake.
⁹ Anyone who moves large stones might be hurt by them.
    And anyone who cuts logs might get hurt while doing it.
¹⁰ Cutting logs with a dull ax
    makes you work harder.
A wise man will sharpen his ax.
    In the same way, wisdom can make any job easier.
¹¹ Someone might know how to control snakes.
    But what good is such wisdom if the snake has already bitten him?

¹² A wise man’s words bring him praise.
    But a foolish person’s words will destroy him.
¹³ A foolish person begins by saying something foolish.
    In the end he is saying even crazier things.
¹⁴ A foolish person talks too much about what he will do.
    No one knows the future.
    No one can tell him what will happen after he dies.

¹⁵ A foolish person doesn’t know even the most obvious things.
    He can’t even find his way back to town.
    So he has to wear himself out working.

¹⁸ If a person is lazy and doesn’t repair the roof,
    it will begin to fall.
If he refuses to fix it,
    the house will leak.

¹⁹ A party makes you feel good.
    And wine makes you feel happy.
But both cost you a lot of money.

²⁰ Don’t say or think bad things about the king.
    And don’t say bad things about rich people even alone in your bedroom.
A little bird might report it to others.
    A bird might fly to them and tell all you said.

³ If clouds are full of rain,
    they will pour water on the earth.
A tree can fall to the north or south.
    But it will stay where it falls.
⁴ If a person waits for perfect weather,
    he will never plant his seeds.
And if he is afraid that every cloud will bring rain,
    he will never harvest his crops.

⁵ You don’t know where the wind will blow.
    And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s body.
In the same way, God certainly made all things.
    But you can’t understand what he is doing.
⁶ Begin planting early in the morning,
    and don’t stop working until evening.
This is because you don’t know which things you do will succeed.
    It is even possible that everything you do will succeed.