be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? [1]
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall escape from them all.
19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men who are in the city.
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21 Also take no heed to all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: [2]
22 For often also thy own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24 That which is far off, and exceedingly deep, who can find it out?
25 I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: [3]
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoever pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. [4]
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: [5]
28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: 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 God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many devices.
CHAP. 8.
Who is as the wise man ? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. [6]
2 I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatever pleaseth him.
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say to him, What doest thou?
5 He who keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. [7]
6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the 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]
8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. [9]
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time in which one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner doeth evil an hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, who fear before him:
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are just men, to 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.
15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
16 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:)
17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man may labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it ; yea further; though a wise man thinketh to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it .
CHAP. 9.
For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. [10]
2 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.
3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart
- ↑ before...: Heb. not in thy time?
- ↑ take...: Heb. give not thine heart
- ↑ I applied...: Heb. I and mine heart compassed
- ↑ whoso...: Heb. he that is good before God
- ↑ counting...: or, weighing one thing after another, to find out the reason
- ↑ the boldness: Heb. the strength
- ↑ shall...: Heb. shall know
- ↑ when...: or, how it shall be?
- ↑ discharge: or, casting off weapons
- ↑ I considered...: Heb. I gave, or, set to my heart
