Chronological
7 Divers precepts to follow that which is good, and to avoid the contrary.
1 Surely there be many things that increase vanity, and what availeth it a man?
2 For who knoweth what is [a]good for man in the life, and in the number of the days of the life of his vanity, seeing he maketh them as a (A)shadow? for who can show unto man what shall be after him under the sun?
3 (B)A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of [b]death, than the day that one is born.
4 It is better to go to the house of [c]mourning, than to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of all men: and the living shall lay it to his heart.
5 Anger is better than laughter: for by a sad look the heart is made better.
6 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
7 Better it is to hear the rebuke of a wise man, than that a man should hear the song of fools.
8 For like the noise of the [d]thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
9 Surely oppression maketh a wise man [e]mad: and the reward destroyeth the heart.
10 The [f]end of a thing is better than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
11 Be not thou of an hasty spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
12 Say not thou, Why is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire [g]wisely of this thing.
13 Wisdom is good with an [h]inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sun.
14 For man shall rest in the shadow of wisdom, and in the shadow of silver: but the excellency of the knowledge of wisdom giveth life to the possessors thereof.
15 Behold the work of God; for who can make (C)straight that which he hath made crooked?
16 In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction [i]consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man should find [j]nothing after him.
17 I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his [k]justice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice.
18 Be not thou just [l]overmuch, neither make thyself overwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?
19 Be not thou wicked [m]overmuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time?
20 It is good that thou lay hold on [n]this: but yet withdraw not thine hand from [o]that: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
21 Wisdom shall strengthen the wise men more than ten mighty princes that are in the city.
22 (D)Surely there is no man just in the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
23 Give not thine [p]heart also to all the words that men speak, lest thou do hear thy servant cursing thee.
24 For oftentimes also thine heart knoweth that thou likewise hast [q]cursed others.
25 All this have I proved by wisdom: I thought, I will be wise, but it went far from me.
26 It is far off, what may [r]it be? and it is a profound deepness, who can find it?
27 I have compassed about, both I and mine heart to know and to inquire and to search wisdom, and reason, and to know the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness,
28 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is as nets and snares, and her hands as bands: he that is good before God, shall be delivered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.
29 Behold, saith the Preacher, this have I found, seeking one by one to [s]find the count:
30 And yet my soul seeketh, but I find it not. I have found one man of a thousand: but a woman among them all have I not found.
31 Only lo, this have I found, that God hath made man righteous: but they have sought many [t]inventions.
8 2 To obey Princes and Magistrates. 17 The works of God pass man’s knowledge.
1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? the wisdom of a man doth make his face [u]to shine: and [v]the strength of his face shall be changed.
2 I advertise thee to take heed to the [w]mouth of the king, and to the word of the oath of God.
3 [x]Haste not to go forth of his sight: stand not in an evil thing: for he will do whatsoever pleaseth him.
4 Where the word of the King is, there is power, and who shall say unto him, What doest thou?
5 He that keepeth the commandment, shall know none evil thing, and the heart of the wise shall know the [y]time, and judgment.
6 For to every purpose there is a time and judgment, because the [z]misery of man is great upon him.
7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
8 Man is not Lord [aa]over the spirit to retain the spirit: neither hath he power in the day of death, nor deliverance in the battle, neither shall wickedness deliver the possessors thereof.
9 All this have I seen, and have given mine heart to every work which is wrought under the sun, and I saw a time that man ruleth over man to his own [ab]hurt.
10 And likewise I saw the wicked buried, and [ac]they returned, and they that came from the holy [ad]place, were yet forgotten in the city, where they had done right: this also is vanity.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not [ae]executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days, yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear the Lord, and do reverence before him.
13 But it shall not be well to the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days: he shall be like a shadow, because he feareth not before God.
14 There is a vanity, which is done upon the earth, that there be righteous men to whom it cometh according to the [af]work of the wicked: and there be wicked men to whom it cometh according to the work of the just: I thought also that this is vanity.
15 And I praised joy, for there is no goodness to man under the sun, save [ag]to eat and to drink and to rejoice: for this is adjoined to his labor the days of his life that God hath given him under the sun.
16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to behold the business that is done on earth, that neither day nor night the eyes of man take sleep,
17 Then I beheld the whole work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is wrought under the sun: for the which man laboreth to seek it, and cannot find it: yea, and though the wise man think to know it, he cannot find it.
9 1 By no outward thing can man know whom God loveth or hateth. 12 No man knoweth his end. 16 Wisdom excelleth strength.
1 I have surely given mine heart to all this, and to declare all this, that the just, and the wise, and their works are in the hand of God: and no man knoweth either love or [ah]hatred of all that is before them.
2 All things come alike to all: and the same condition is to the just and to the wicked, to the good and to the pure, and to the polluted, and to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner, he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
3 This is evil among all that is done under the sun, that there is one [ai]condition to all, and also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that, they go to the dead.
4 Surely whosoever is joined to all the living, there is hope: for it is better to a [aj]living dog, than to a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing at all: neither have they anymore a reward: for their remembrance is forgotten.
6 Also their love and their hatred, and their envy is now perished, and they have no more portion forever, in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a cheerful heart: for God now [ak]accepteth thy works.
8 At all times let thy garments be [al]white, and let not oil be lacking upon thine head.
9 [am](E)Rejoice with the wife whom thou hast loved all the days of the life of thy vanity, which God hath given thee under the sun all the days of thy vanity: for this is thy portion in the life, and in thy travail wherein thou laborest under the sun.
10 All that thine hand shall find to do, do it with all thy power: for there is neither work nor invention, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.
11 I returned, and I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor also riches to men of understanding, neither yet favor to men of knowledge: but time and [an]chance cometh to them all.
12 For neither doth man know his [ao]time, but as the fishes which are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare: so are the children of men snared in the evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.
13 I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it is great unto me.
14 A little city and few men in it, and a great King came against it, and compassed it about, and built forts against it.
15 And there was found therein a poor and wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, but none remembered this poor man.
16 Then said I, Better is wisdom than strength: yet the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 The words of the wise are more heard in quietness, than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
18 Better is wisdom than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
10 1 The difference of foolishness and wisdom. 11 A slanderer is like a serpent that cannot be charmed. 16 Of foolish kings and drunken princes, 17 And of good Kings and Princes.
1 Dead flies cause to stink, and putrefy the ointment of the apothecary: so doth a little folly him that is in estimation for wisdom, and for glory.
2 The heart of a [ap]wise man is at his right hand: but the heart of a fool is at his left hand.
3 And also when the fool goeth by the way, his heart faileth, and he [aq]telleth unto all that he is a fool.
4 If the [ar]spirit of him that ruleth, rise up against thee, leave not thy place: for gentleness pacifieth great sins.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an [as]error that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth.
6 Folly is set in great excellency, and the [at]rich sit in the low place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the ground.
8 (F)He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it, and he that breaketh the hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 He that removeth stones, shall hurt himself thereby, and he that cutteth wood, shall be in danger thereby.
10 If the iron be blunt, and one hath not whet the edge, he must then put to more [au]strength: but the excellency to direct a thing is wisdom.
11 If the serpent bite, when he is not charmed: no better is a babbler.
12 The words of the mouth of a wise man have grace: but the lips of a fool devour himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the latter end of his mouth is wicked madness.
14 For the fool multiplieth words, saying, Man knoweth not what shall be: and who can tell him what shall be after him?
15 The labor of the foolish doth weary him: for he knoweth not to go into the [av]city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a [aw]child, and thy princes [ax]eat in the morning.
17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the son [ay]of nobles, and thy princes eat in time, for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 By slothfulness the roof of the house goeth to decay, and by the idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19 They prepare bread for laughter, and wine comforteth the living, but silver answereth to all.
20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the [az]fowl of the heaven shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.
11 1 To be liberal to the poor. 4 Not to doubt of God’s providence. 8 All worldly prosperity is but vanity. 9 God will judge all.
1 Cast thy bread upon the [ba]waters: for after many days thou shalt find it.
2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3 If the [bb]clouds be full, they will pour forth rain upon the earth: and if the [bc]tree do fall toward the South, or toward the North, in the place that the tree falleth, there it shall be.
4 He that observeth the [bd]wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds, shall not reap.
5 As thou knowest not which is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the work of God that worketh all.
6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thine hand [be]rest: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, this or [bf]that, or whether both shall be a like good.
7 Surely the light is a pleasant thing: and it is a good thing to the eyes to see the sun.
8 Though a man live many years, and in them all he rejoice, yet he shall remember the days of [bg]darkness, because they are many, all that cometh is vanity.
9 [bh]Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth: and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know that for all these things, God will bring thee to judgment.
10 Therefore take away [bi]grief out of thine heart, and cause evil [bj]to depart from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
12 1 To think on God in youth, and not to defer till age. 7 The soul returneth to God. 11 Wisdom is the gift of God, and consisteth in fearing him and keeping his commandments.
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years approach, wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them:
2 While the sun is not dark, nor the light, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the [bk]clouds return after the rain.
3 When the [bl]keepers of the house shall tremble, and the [bm]strong men shall bow themselves, and the [bn]grinders shall cease, because they are few, and they wax dark that [bo]look out by the windows:
4 And the [bp]doors shall be shut without by the base sound of the [bq]grinding, and he shall rise up at the voice of the [br]bird: and all the [bs]daughters of singing shall be abased:
5 Also they shall be afraid of the [bt]high thing, and fear shall be in the [bu]way, and the almond tree shall [bv]flourish, and the [bw]grasshopper shall be a burden, and concupiscence shall be driven away: for man goeth to the house of his age, and the mourners go about in the street.
6 While the [bx]silver cord is not lengthened, nor the golden [by]ewer broken, nor the [bz]pitcher broken at the [ca]well, nor the [cb]wheel broken at the [cc]cistern,
7 And dust return to the earth as it was, and the [cd]spirit return to God that gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, all is vanity.
9 And the more wise the Preacher was, the more he taught the people knowledge, and caused them to hear, and searched forth, and prepared many parables.
10 The Preacher sought to find out pleasant words, and an upright writing, even the words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails [ce]fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are given by one [cf]pastor.
12 And of other things beside these, my son, take thou heed: for there is none end in making many [cg]books, and much reading is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the end of all: fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every work unto judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil.
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