Beginning

5 ^(4:17) Keep thy footing when thou goest to the Bais HaElohim, and be more ready to listen than to give the zevach of kesilim, for they have no da’as that they do rah.

^2 (5:1) Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine lev be hasty to utter any thing before HaElohim; for HaElohim is in Shomayim, and thou upon ha’aretz; therefore let thy dvarim be few.

^3 (5:2) As by a multitude of cares cometh a chalom, so by a multitude of dvarim cometh the kol kesil (the voice of the fool).

^4 (5:3) When thou vowest a neder unto Elohim, defer not to pay it; for Hashem hath no pleasure in kesilim; pay that which thou hast vowed.

^5 (5:4) Better it is that thou shouldest not make a neder, than that thou shouldest vow and not fulfill the neder.

^6 (5:5) Suffer not thy mouth to lead thy basar into chet (sin); neither say thou before the Malach [of G-d], that it was a mistake. Wherefore should HaElohim be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

^7 (5:6) For in the multitude of chalomot and many dvarim there are also divers havalim [see 1:2]; but fear thou HaElohim.

^8 (5:7) If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of mishpat and tzedek in a province, marvel not at the matter; for he that is higher watches over him that is high; and there be higher than they.

^9 (5:8) Moreover the profit of eretz is for all; Melech himself is served by the sadeh.

^10 (5:9) He that loveth kesef shall never have enough kesef; nor shall he that loveth abundance have enough increase; this also is hevel.

^11 (5:10) When hatovah (good things) increase, they are increased that consume them; and what kishron (useful result) is there to the ba’al (owner) thereof, except as an onlooker?

^12 (5:11) The sleep of the oved (working man) is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the abundance of the oisher (rich man) will not permit him to sleep.

^13 (5:12) There is a grievous ra’ah which I have seen under the shemesh; osher (riches) hoarded by the ba’al thereof to his hurt;

^14 (5:13) The same osher (riches) perish by an evil event and he begetteth a ben; thus this one hath nothing in his hand.

^15 (5:14) As he came forth of the womb of his Em (mother), arom (naked) shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his amal (labor), which he may carry away in his hand.

^16 (5:15) And this also is a grievous evil, that in every respect as he came, just so shall he go; and what profit hath he that hath toiled for the ruach (wind)?

^17 (5:16) All his yamim also he eateth in choshech, and he hath much ka’as (grief, vexation) and sickness and anger.

^18 (5:17) Hinei I have seen it is tov and yafeh for one to eat and to drink, and to find tovah in all his amal (labor) that he toils under the shemesh all the few days of his life, which HaElohim giveth him; for it is his chelek.

^19 (5:18) Also kol ha’adam to whom HaElohim hath given osher and possessions, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his chelek, and to rejoice in his amal; this is the gift of Elohim.

^20 (5:19) For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because HaElohim keeps him occupied with simchat libbo (gladness of his heart).

6 There is a ra’ah which I have seen under the shemesh, and it is a great weight upon the adam;

² An ish to whom HaElohim hath given osher (riches), nekhasim (possessions), and kavod (honor), so that he wanteth nothing for his nefesh of all that he desireth, yet HaElohim giveth him not shlitah (empowerment) to have enjoyment thereof, but an ish nochri (stranger) hath the enjoyment thereof; this is hevel, and it is a grievous ill.

³ If an ish beget a hundredfold, and live shanim rabbot, so that rav be the yamim of his shanim, and his nefesh be not filled with hatovah, and also that he have no kevurah (grave); I say, that a nefel (stillborn) is better than he.

⁴ For he cometh in with hevel, and departeth in choshech, and shmo shall be shrouded with choshech.

⁵ Moreover though he hath not seen the shemesh, nor known any thing, this hath more nakhat (rest, quietness) than the other.

⁶ Yea, though he live an elef shanim twice over, yet hath he seen no tovah. Do not all go to mekom echad?

⁷ All the amal (labor) of haAdam is for his mouth, and yet the nefesh is not satisfied.

⁸ For what hath the chacham more than the kesil? What hath the poor man, who has da’as of how to conduct himself before the living?

⁹ Better what the eynayim see than the roving of the nefesh; this also is hevel and chasing after ruach.

¹⁰ That which is, its shem hath already been named, and it is known what adam shall be; neither may he contend with what is stronger than he.

¹¹ Seeing there be many things that increase hevel, what profit is there for adam?

¹² For who has da’as what is tov for adam in this life, all the few days of his chayyei hevel which he spendeth as a shadow? For who can tell adam what shall be after him under the shemesh?

7 A shem tov is better than precious ointment; and the yom hamavet than the day of one’s birth.

² It is better to go to the bais evel (house of mourning), than to go to the bais mishteh (house of feasting); for that is the sof (end, conclusion; see 12:13) of kol haAdam; and the living will take it to heart.

³ Ka’as (sorrow) is better than laughter; for sadness of the countenance is good for the lev.

⁴ The lev of chachamim is in the bais evel (house of mourning); but the lev of kesilim is in the bais simchah.

⁵ It is better to hear the rebuke of the chacham, than for an ish to hear the shir kesilim.

⁶ For as is the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the kesil; this also is hevel.

⁷ Surely oppression maketh a chacham mad; and a bribe corrupts the heart.

⁸ Better is the acharit (end) of a thing than the reshit (beginning) thereof; and erech ruach (patience) is better than gavoah ruach (haughtiness).

⁹ Be not hasty in thy ruach to be angry; for ka’as (anger) resteth in the kheyk (bosom) of kesilim.

¹⁰ Say thou not, What is the cause that the yamim harishonim were better than these? For it is not because of chochmah that thou dost inquire concerning this.

¹¹ Chochmah is better than a nachalah (inheritance); and by it there is an advantage to them that see the shemesh.

¹² For chochmah is a protective tzel (shade), and kesef is as well; but the advantage of da’as is, that chochmah giveth chayyim (life) to them that possess it.

¹³ Consider the ma’aseh HaElohim; for who can make straight what Hashem hath made crooked?

¹⁴ In the yom tovah be joyful, but in the yom ra’ah consider: HaElohim also hath set the one over against the other in such a way that adam may not find out anything that will come after him.

¹⁵ All things have I seen in the yamim of my hevel; there is a tzaddik that perisheth in his tzedakah, and there is a rasha that prolongeth his life in his ra’ah.

¹⁶ Do not be over much the tzaddik nor over much the chacham; why cause thyself desolation?

¹⁷ Be not over much resha, neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?

¹⁸ It is good that thou holdest fast to the one and withdrawest not thine hand from the other; for he is a yire Elohim (G-d fearer) who shall fulfill both.

¹⁹ Chochmah makes one chacham stronger than asarah shalitim (ten rulers) which are in the city.

²⁰ For there is not a tzaddik upon earth, that doeth tov, and sinneth not [Ro 3:23].

²¹ Also take no heed unto kol dvarim that are spoken; lest thou hear thy eved curse thee;

²² For oftentimes also thine own lev hath da’as that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

²³ I tested all this with chochmah; I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

²⁴ That which is far off, and exceeding deep, whose chochmah can find it out?

²⁵ I applied mine lev to have da’as, and to search, and to seek out chochmah, and the cheshbon (scheme, plan) of things, and to have da’as of resha (wickedness) of kesel (stupidity), even of sichlut (folly) and holelot (madness).

²⁶ And I find more mar (bitter) than mavet the isha, whose lev is snares and traps, and her hands are as chains; whoso pleaseth HaElohim shall escape from her; but the choteh (sinner) shall be ensnared by her.

²⁷ Look, this have I discovered, saith Kohelet, adding one point to another to find out the cheshbon (the scheme, plan of things);

²⁸ Which yet my nefesh seeketh, but I have not found; one man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.

²⁹ Lo, this only have I found, that HaElohim hath made man yashar (upright, Gn 1:27); but they have sought out chishvonot rabbim (many schemes, Gn 3:6-7; Ps 51; Ro 5:12; 3:23).

8 Who is the chacham? And who knoweth the pesher (interpretation, explanation) of a thing? A man’s chochmah maketh his face bright, and the rudeness of his face is changed.

² I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that because of the shevuat Elohim (the oath of G-d).

³ Be not hasty to go out of his sight; stand not in a rah (an evil matter); for he executeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

⁴ For the devar melech is shilton (supreme), and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

⁵ Whoso is shomer mitzvah shall meet no harm; and a lev of a chacham discerneth both et (time) and mishpat (judgment).

⁶ Because every matter has its et (time) and mishpat (judgment), though the ra’at haAdam be great upon him.

⁷ For he has no da’as of that which shall be; for who can tell him how it will be?

⁸ There is no adam that hath power over the ruach to restrain ruach; neither hath he shilton (power) over the yom hamavet; and there is no discharge in war; neither shall resha deliver its possessor.

⁹ All this have I seen, and applied my lev unto every ma’aseh (labor, work) that has been done under the shemesh wherein one adam ruleth over another adam to the other’s hurt.

¹⁰ And so I saw the resha’im buried, who had come and gone out of the mekom kadosh (the holy place), and they were forgotten in the city where they had done such things; this is also hevel.

¹¹ Because pitgam (sentence) against a ma’aseh hara’ah (an evil work) is not executed speedily, therefore the lev of the bnei haAdam is fully set in them to do rah.

¹² Though a choteh do rah an hundred times, and his yamim be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear HaElohim, which fear before Hashem;

¹³ But it shall not be well with the rasha, neither shall he lengthen his yamim like a tzel (shadow); because he feareth not before Elohim.

¹⁴ There is a hevel which is done upon ha’aretz; that there be tzaddikim, unto whom it happeneth according to the ma’aseh haresha’im; again, there be resha’im, to whom it happeneth according to the ma’aseh hatzaddikim; I say that this also is hevel.

¹⁵ Then I commended simchah, because a man hath no better thing under the shemesh, than to eat, and to drink, and to have simchah; for that shall accompany him in his amal the yamim of his life, which HaElohim giveth him under the shemesh.

¹⁶ When I applied mine lev to have da’as of chochmah, and to see the business that is done upon ha’aretz, though one’s eynayim see sleep neither yom nor lailah,

¹⁷ then I beheld kol ma’aseh HaElohim, that haAdam cannot comprehend the ma’aseh that is done under the shemesh; because though haAdam labor to seek it out, yet he shall not comprehend it; moreover, though a chacham claim to have da’as of it, yet shall he not be able to comprehend it.