ECCLESIASTES  
 1Discourses, by the Speaker, the son of David,1king of Jerusalem.
The Futility and Monotomy of Nature and Of Human Life
 2Utterest vanity! The Speaker declareth:
Utterest vanity! All is vanity.
 3What gain hath a man of all his toil
Whereat he toileth under the sun?
 4The generations come and go,
But evermore the earth abideth.
 5The sun doth rise, and the sun doth set,
But he panteth back to the place of his rising.
 6South the wind goeth, and northward it circleth;
Circling and circling goeth the wind,
And back on its circling the wind returneth.
 7All the rivers run into the sea,
But nevertheless is the sea not full.
To the place to which the rivers run,
Thither they run and run for ever.
 8All things are full or weariness,
Of weariness unutterable,
With all that it sees hath the eye no rest,
And with all that it hears is the ear unfilled.
The Futility of the Search after Knowledge
 9What has been, shall be; what has happenedalready, will happen again: there is not a novelty 10under the sun. When anything occurs that one isdisposed to call really new, it will be found to have 11happened already — ages before us. Nobodyremembers (to-day) the people of the olden time,and similarly the people of the after-time will notbe remebered by anybody who comes after them.
 12I, the Speaker, was king over Israel in Jerusalem; 13and I gave my mind to the philosophic study andinvestigation of all that goes on under the sun. Buta sorry business it is that God has given men to 14busy themselves with. From my observation of all that goes on under the sun, I have come to theconclusion that it is all nothing but an illusion anda chasing of the wind. 15That which is crooked can never be straightened,
And that which is lacking can never be counted.
 16Then I said to myself, Let me take my own case.I have amassed wisdom beyond all my predecessorsin Jerusalem, and my experience of wisdom and of 17knowledge has been a wide one; but after applyingmy mind to the study of wisdom and knowledge, madnessand folly, I am convinced that this also is a chasing of the wind; for 18Who is rich in wisdom is rich in vexation,
And increase of knowledge brings increase of pain.
The Futility of the Search after Pleasure 
 2I said to myself, Well now, I will experiment with1pleasure and indulge myself; but I discovered with 2Surprise that this, too, was an illusion. I concludedthat laughter was madness and joy a sterile thing.
 3I turned over in my mind how to cheer my senseswith wine — preserving at the same time, however,my habitual wisdom — and how to embrace folly,until I should discover what satisfaction may beprocured by men under heaven during the days 4of their brief lives. I went in for enterprises on animpressive scale. I had houses built and vineyards 5planted. I had gardens laid out and parks planted 6with all sorts of fruit trees, I had reservoirs con-structed to water the trees that formed the plan- 7tations. I bought male and female slaves in additionto the other that had been born in my house. I hadcattle and sheep in abundance — far beyond my 8predecessors in Jerusalem. Further, I amassedsilver and gold and treasure from (tributary) kingsand from the provinces. I procured male and femalesingers and sensuous delighs — concubines in 9abundance; and richer and richer I grew beyondall my predecessors in Jerusalem — taking care, how- 10ever, to retain my wisdom. I refused my eyesnothing that they longed for, and I did not abstainfrom pleasure of any kind, for there was a pleasureattached to all my effort, and the reward of all my 11effort I found in that. But when I looked at allthe things my hands had made, and at the effortthat I had spent upon them, it all turned out to benothing but an illusion and chasing of the wind: 12bhere was no profit under the sun. For what willthe king's successor do but just what has been done before?
The Futility of Wisdom
 12aThen I turned to the consideration of wisdom and 13madness and folly, and I saw that wisdom is assuperior to folly as light to darkness; for 14While the wise have their eyes in their head,
The fool walketh in darkness.Still, I am well aware that in their fate they are 15both alike. So I said to myself, The fate of the foolshall be my fate also; and what, in that case, amI the better for my pre-eminent wisdom? So I 16said to myself, Here is another illusion. For throughall time the wise man is not remembered any morethan the fool, seeing that in the days to come everyone will be soon forgotten. Alas! the wise man 17dies just like the fool. So life became odious tome, because I was vexed with all that goes on underthe sun; for it is all an illusion and a chasing of the wind,
The Futility of Work
 18Yes, all the effort that I had spent under the sunbecame odious to me, because I should have to 19leave it to my successor; and who can tell whetherit will be a wise man or a fool that will have thedisposal of the results of all my wise and earnesttoil under the sun? Here is another illusion.
 20Then I felt like yielding to despair because 21of all my laborious toil under the sun; for itmay happen that a man who has toiled withwisdom, knowledge, and skill has to bequeath theresults of it to another who has done no work uponit at all. Here, in this great evil, is another illusion. 22For what does a man get from all the striving 23and the strain of his work under the sun? His daysare all a torture, and his business a vexation: why,even the night brings no rest to his mind. Here is 24another illusion. There is, then, no satisfaction fora man beyond eating and drinking and enjoyinghimself as he works. This I saw to be from God's 25own hand; for how can there be eating or enjoymentapart form Him? 26For the man who pleases Him He gives wisdom,knowledge and happiness; to the sinner, on the otherhand, He gives the task of gathering and amassing,that it may be given (in the end) to the man who pleases God.Here is another illusion and chasing of the wind.
The Futility of Human Effort in the Light of the FixedOrder of the World 
 3Everything has its reason appointed,
1And every affair under heaven has its time.
 2A time to be born,
And a time to die.
A time to plant,
And a time to uproot.
 3A time to slay,
And a time to heal.
A time to tear down,
And a time to build up.
 4A time to weep,
And a time to laugh.
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance.
 5A time to scatter stones,
And a time to clear them away.
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain.
 6A time to seek,
And a time to lose.
A time to preserve,
And a time to throw away.
 7A time to tear,
And a time to sew.
A time to be silent,
And a time to speak.
 8A time to love,
And a time to hate.
A time for war,
And a time for peace.
 10What does the worker gain by all his toil (thought 10I) as I looked at the tasks that God has assigned to men to busy themselves with? 11It is a beautiful orfer that He has established—evrything at its appointed time. Besides, He hasplanted in the human heart (the instinct for) eternity;only men cannot discern the whole range — from begin-ning to end — of the work which God is carrying on. 12I am convinced that the only satisfaction that canbe theirs is to be happy and prosperous, while 13they live. Besides, it is God's own gift, when a manis priviledged to eat, drink, and experience happinessin all his work.
 14I am convinced that all that God does is eternal;it is capable neither of increase nor of diminution:and God has ordained this, in order to inspire menwith reverence.
 15Whatever is, has happened already; and whatis yet to happen, already is: for that which hasdrifted (into the past) God seeketh out again.
The Futility of Hoping for the Redress of Injustice in Some Future World
 16Once more, in the course of my observation underthe sun, I saw that, in the place where judgmentswere delivered, there was injustice — yes, injusticein the very place where justice should have beenadministered. 17I said to myself, Yes, but God will judge the just andthe unjust: for He hath appointed a time for everymatter and for every act. 18I said to myself, It is for men's sake, that Godmay show them in their true light, and lead them 19to see that they are but beasts. For the fate ofmen is the fate of beasts: their fate is one and thesame. The one dies like the other. One breathis in them all, and man is no way superior to the 20beasts. For all is but an illusion. All are on theirway to the same place. All sprang from the dust, 21and to the dust they shall all return. Who can tellwhether the human spirit goes upward and the 22spirit of the beast downward to the earth? So Orecognised that there is no greater satisfaction fora mn that to be happy in his work — that is hisreward; for, as to what is to happen after him—who can give him a glimpse of that?
Man's Inhumanity to Man 
 4Once more, I considered all the oppression that1goes on under the sun. I saw the tears of theoppressed, who have no one to comfort them—power brutally wielded by the oppressors, and not 2a soul to comfort them. Happy, thought I, werethe dead who are already dead rather than the 3living who are still alive; but happier than eitherthe creature that has never been born, to look uponthe evil work that goes on under the sun.
The Taint of Jealousy
 4Then I observed that all the laborious and skilfulwork of men has its origin and issue in their jealousyof one another. Here is another illusion and a chasing of the wind.
The Wisdom of Unambitious Quiet
 5The fool foldeth his hands,
And his own flesh he devoureth.
 6Better a single handful of quiet,
And a chasing of the wind.
The Futility and Misery of Loneliness
 7Here is another of the illusions that I have 8observed under the sun. Take, for example, alonely man, with no one by his side — he has neitherson nor brother: yet he toils on endlessly; hiseye can never see money enough. "And yet, whomam I toiling for, and beggaring myself to happi-ness? "Here is another illusion, a sorry business indeed.
 9Two are better than one, for their toil is happily 10rewarded. If, for example, one should fall, his comrade helps him to his feet: but woe betide the 11man who falls, with nobody to help him up. Again,if two lie together, they get warm: but how can a man 12get warm by himself? Again, while a solitaryman may be overpowered, two can stand up to anassailant; while a cord that has three strandsis not lightly snapped. 
The Futility of Wisdom — An illustration
 13A Young man that is poor but wise is better thana foolish old king who can no longer take a warning. 14There was one such who passed from prison to the throne, though in the (old king's) reign he had been 15born poor; and I obseved that every man alivethat walketh under the sun supported his youthful 16successor. Endless were the people who lookedup to him as leader; and yet in later years theirenthusiasm for him had vanished. Here is another illusion and a chasing of the wind.
Warnings against Insincerity and Rashness in the Discharge of Religious Duties 
 5walk warily, when you go to the house of God:1to participate in the worship with attentive ear isbetter than the sacrifices offered by fools, who areonly versed in the practice of wickedness.
 2Do not be rash with your tongue, and do not letyour feelings hurry you into speech before God:for God is in heaven, while you are on earth; your words ought therefore to be few. For 3As dreams proceed from multiplied cares,
So the din of fools from multiplied words. 4When you make a vow to God, pay it withoutdelay; for fools incur His displeasure. Pay 5therefore what you vow. Better not vow than vow 6and not pay. Do not allow your tongue to involveyou in guilt and punishment; and do not have toexplain to the official that it was a case of inadver-tence (on your part). Why should you say thingsthat must provoke God to bring your enterprises 7To ruin? for multiplied dreams and words bringmultiplied vanities. But hold God in reverence.
The Prevalence of Oppression
 8Do not be astonished when you see a poor mancrushed, or right and justice plundered in a pro-vinced; for high officials are perpetually spying uponone another, and over them are others higher still.
 9It is in every way an advantage to a land tohave a king devoted to the cultivation of the soil.
The Futility of Wealth
 10Who loves money can never have money enough,
And the lover of riches no increase can satisfy.
Here is another illusion.
 11Increase of wealth bringeth increase in those that consume it:
What gain hath is owner save gazing on it with his eyes?
 12Sweet is the sleep of the toiler, whether he eatmuch or little; but the satiety of the wealthyman will not let him sleep.
 13One of the grievous evils that I have observedunder the sun is this — wealth hoarded up to its 14owner's ruin. The wealth vanishes in some sorryadventure; and so, after becoming a father, he 15finds himself with nothing at all. Naked as hecame from his mother's womb must he go again,just as he came. For all his toil he can takenothing away with him that he can carry in his 16hand. This also is a grievous evil, that he must goaway just as he came; and what has he gained 17by toiling for the wind? Yes, all his days arespent in darkness and mourning, in deep vexation,sickness and anger.
 18I claim, as the result of my observation, that itis an excellent and comely thing (for a man) to eat,drink, and enjoy himself amid all his laborious toil under the sun during the days of the brief life 19which God gives him: for that is his lot. Yes,when God gives a man wealth and riches and powerto enjoy them, to take his share and be happy in 20his work — this is a gift of God. Such a man will not think much about the brevity of his life; for his heart is touched by God to a glad response.
The Futility of Wealth the Power to Enjoy 
 6One of the vexatious things that I have seen under 2the sun to press heavily upon men is this. Takethe case of a man to whom God has given wealth,riches, honour, everything heart can desire exceptthe opportunity to enjoy it— that opportunity fallingto some stranger. Here is a grieveous and painfulillusion.
 3If a man be the father of a hundred sons, and livefor many long years, but without having enjoyedany true satisfaction from his prosperity and withoutthe honour of burial (in the end), then such a man,I maintain, is not so fortunate as an untimely 4birth, which, coming as a futility, departs in dark- 5ness with its name enveloped in darkness, neverhaving has sight or knowledge of the sunlight.It is this, rather than the other, that enjoys rest. 6Though the man should live a thousand years twiceover, yet enjoy no experience of happiness, are notboth on their way to same place?
 7The toil of man is all for his mouth,
Yet the appetite is unfilled.
 8What gain hath the wise man more than the fool,
Or the poor man who walks through the world with discretion?
 9Better a glimpse with the eyes
Than the roaming of the appetite.
Here is another illusion and a chasing of the wind.
The Futility of the Struggle with Destiny
 10The character of what is has already been deter-mined, and the destiny of man is already fore-ordained: he cannot contend with one mightier 11than himself. For multiplied words mean butmultiplied vanities; and what is man the better? 12Who can tell what is good for man during his life-time all the days of the brief and empty life that hepasses like a shadow? Who can declare to a manwhat is to happen after him under the sun?
Counsels for Conduct 
 7A fair name is better than precious ointment,
1And the day of death the day of one's birth.
 2It is better to go the house of mourning
Than to go to the banquetting-house;
Inasmuch as that is the end of all men,
And the living should lay it to heart.
 3Vexation is better than laughter;
For, when the face is sad, it is well with the heart.
 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of the fool in the house of mirth.
 5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
Than to lend one's ears to the song of a fool.
 6For like crackling of nettles under kettles,
Even so is the cackle of fools.
Here is another illusion.
 7Extortion maketh the wise man mad,
And a bribe destroyeth the character.
 8The end of a thing is better than the beginning,
And the patience is better than pride.
 9Do not be hastily vexed in thy temper;
Vexation doth lodge in the bosom of fools,
 10Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"
For such a question is not of wisdom.
 11As good as an inheritance is wisdom.
And gainful to those who behold the sun.
 12Wisdom defends, even as money defends;
But herein is the greater gain of knowledge,
That a wisdom is life unto those that possess her.
 13Consider well the work of God;
For who can make straight that which He hath made crooked?
 14In happy days be happy, and in the day of misfor-tune consider: for God has balanced the one againstthe other, in order to prevent men from discovering anything of the future.
The Folly of Extremes
 15In the course of my illusory life I have witnessedall sort of things — honest men ruined by theirvery honesty, and unprincipled men who owe their 16long life to their very lack of principle. Do notbe over-pious or over-wise: why court destruction? 17But neither be over-wicked, nor play the fool: 18why die before your time? It is good, while cling-ing to the one, not to relax your grasp of theother; for true religion avoids the excesses of both.
 19Wisdom is a mightier protector to the wise than 20ten men who are in authority over a city. Forthere is not a single righteous man upon earth—a man who does nothing but good and never falls into sin.
 21Further, pay no attention to current gossip, incase you may hear that your servant has cursed 22you; for your conscience tells you that you toohace cursed others many a time.
Woman a Delusion and a Snare
 23I subjected all this to the test of wisdom. I resolvedto acquire wisdom, but she remained remote. 24Yes, the essence of things remained remote — deepdown in depths unfathomable.
 25Then, casting about, I gave my mind to theunderstanding and investigation of wisdom, tosearch after her for results, and to study the folly 26of wickedness and the madness of folly. And athing that I find to be more bitter than death iswoman: for she is a veritable net, with her heartof snares and her hands of fetters. The man whoenjoys the favour of God escapes her, but the sinner 27is caught by her. Now mark this, says the Speaker.Putting one thing with another in order to arrive 28at a conclusion — which, however, I have long andearnestly sought in vain — this at least I have dis-covered: that there is one man in a thousand—that I have discovered — but never a woman in all 29that number have I found. This only have I found-mark it well: that men were createdupright by God, but they have sought out manycontrivances of their own.
Reflections upon Despotism 
 8Who is like the wise man?
1Who is skilled in interpretation?
A man's wisdom illumines his face,
And a face that is harsh is transfigured. 2Obey the king's commands; but, remembering 3your oath to God, do not be drawn into hastyaction. Leave his presence, and do not embarkupon any hurtful course; for a king can do any- 4thing he pleases, seeing that his royal word isauthorative, and his conduct unchallengeable.
 5He who keeps the commandment will nevercome to harm. The wise man knows in his heart 6that there is an hour of judgment; for everythinghas its hour for judgment — and men will be crushed 7beneath the weight of calamity. For they areignorant of the future: who can tell what form it 8will take? No man can control the day of hisdeath, any more than he can control or restrainthe wind. In war there is no discharge. Wrongwill secure no immunity for the wrong-doer.
 9All this I saw, as I applied my mind to all thatgoes on under the sun, at a time when men werewielding their power over other men to ruinthem.
The Futility of Looking for a Moral Order in this World,and there is No Other
 10Thereafter I saw wicked men borne to the tombfrom the holy place — men who usde to go aboutamid plaudits in the very city where they had sobehaved. Here is another illusion. 11fBecause sentence is not swiftly executed upon deedsof wickedness, but a sinner may enjoy a long life thoughthe do evil a hundred times over, men's hearts swellwith the impulse to do evil; though sure I am that itwill be well with those who fear God — I mean those 13who really reverence Him — but it will not be well withthe wicked: his life will be short as a shadow, becausehe has no reverence for God.
 14Here is another of the anomalies to be found uponthe earth — honest meb who fare as if they had beenscoundrels, and scoundrels who fare as if they hadbeen honest men. Here, methought, is another 5futility. Then I commended mirth — for the onlyhuman satisfaction under the sun is to eat, drink,and be merry: these are the things that shouldaccompany men during the days of the laboriouslife with God has given them under the sun.
 16When I gave my mind to the study of wisdomand to the observation of the business that is trans-acted in the world — for day and night one never 17gets a glimpse of sleep — then I recognised that manis impotent to discover the meaning of all the workof God that goes on under the sun. However laboriously men search, they will never discoverit. A wise man may imagine he is on the point ofunderstanding it, but he can never find it out.  9For all this I laid to heart, and my heart observed1it all, that the just, the wise, and their doings arein the hand of God: no man knows whether it isto be love or hatred. All that lies ahead of them is 2vapour, inasmuch as the fate of all is alike — ofsaint and scoundrel, good and bad, pure and impure,those who do and those who do not practise sacrifice.Good man and sinner fare alike, those who takeoaths and those who are afraid to take them. 3This is one of the vexing things that go on uni-versally under the sun, that the fate of all is alike.Besides, the human heart is full of evil: all theirlife long, madness is in men's heart, and thereafter 4they join the dead — not a man is left. There ishope for all who are in life— a live dog even is 5better than a dead lion- for the living know atleast that they have to die, but the dead have noknowledge at all, and no further reward is possible 6for them — their very memory is forgotten. Theirlove, hatred, jealousy, all alike have alreadyvanished, and for all time they have no share inanything that goes on under the sun.
The Wisdom of Enjoyment
 7Go and eat thy bread with joy,
And drink thy wine with a merry heart;
For what thou doest is God's good pleasure.
 8At all times let thy raiment be white,
And let not oil on thy head be lacking.
 9Enjoy thy life with the woman thou lovest,
All the days of thy fleeting life,
Which He hath given thee under the sun.
For that is thy reward in thy life of laborious toil
under the sun.
 Dowith thy might whatever thou hast in thypower to do; for nothing can be done or devised,known or apprehended, in the under-world to whichthou art going.
The Element of Chance in Life
 11Once more: I observed that under the sun it isnot the swift that win the race, nor the strong thatconquer in battle, neither is wisdom rewarded withbread, nor insight with wealth, nor intellect withpractical appreciation; all alike are the victims of 12time and chance. Nobody knows his hour. Men arelike fish caught in a net, or birds in a trap. Like them men are caught in the meshes in an evil hour,when suddenly it falls upon them.
The place of Wisdom in Popular Esteem 13The following illustrations of wisdom came under 14my notice, and it greatly impressed me. There wasa small and thinly garrisoned town, which a power-ful king came and invested by building huge 15siege-works against it. But there happened to bein it a man, poor indeed, but endowed with a wisdomwhich enabled him to save the town. Not a soul, 16However, remembered this poor man. So, me-thought, wisdom of a poor man is held in contempt, and hiswords are not listened to. 17Better wise words that are heard in quiet
Than the shrieking of one who is lord among fools.
 18Better is wisdom than weapons of war,
For one single blunder may ruin much good.
A Topsy-Turvy World 
 10Under the sun this evil I have seen,
5As 'twere the blundering order of a Ruler:
 6The fool is set upon a lofty height,
While men of wealth must take a lowly seat.
 7Slaves have I seen upon horse-back,
And princes walking like slaves on the ground.
A Collection of Proverbs
 1As a deadly fly causes stench in the perfumer's ointment,
So a little folly can ruin the rarest wisdom.
 2The sense of a wise an leads him to the right,
But the sense of a fool to the left.
 3As he goes on his way, a fool showeth his lack of sense;
And every one saith of him, "There goes a fool."
 4If a ruler flare up in a passion against thee,
Quit not thy post: for composure
Can lull mighty passions to rest.
 8He that diggeth a pit may fall therein,
And a serpent may bite him that breaks through a wall;
 9He that quarrieth stones may be hurt by them,
And the man who cleaves wood is imperilled thereby.
 10If the iron be blunt, and you whet not its edge,
You must use more strength.
He succeeds who can claim the advantage of wisdom.
 11If a serpent bite for lack of enchantment,
Then the skillful charmer hath no advantage.
 12The words of a wise man's mouth win him favour,
But a fool by his lips is brought to ruin;
 13From the first the words of his mouth are folly,
And the end of his speech is calamitous madness.
 14The fool maketh many words.
Man knoweth not the future;
And what shall happen after him,
Who can declare unto him?
 15The fuss of fools must weary the man
Who does not know his way to the town.
 16Alas for thee, land! when thy king is a youth,
And thy princes feast in the early morning;
 17But hail to thee, land! when thy king is a noble,
And thy princes feast at the proper season,
Like men and not like sots.
 18Through idleness the roof sinks in,
And through slackness of hands does the house fall a-leaking.
 19Feasts are made for mirth,
And wine cheers the heart of the living,
And money answereth all things.
 20Even in thy thought curse not the king,
And curse not the rich in thy sleeping-chamber;
For a bird of the air may carry the sound,
And the thing that hath wings may declare the matter. 
 11Cast thy bread on the face of the waters,
1For after many days thou shalt find it.
 2Give a portion to seven, yea, even to eight,
For thou knowest not what evil may come on the land.
 3When the clouds are filled with rain,
They empty it over the earth.
If a tree falls northward or southward,
In the place where it falls it remains.
 4He who always is watching the wind
Never gets to his sowing.
He who always is scanning the clounds
Never gets to his reaping.
 5As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind,
Nor how the child grows in the womb of the mother,
So knowest thou not how God doth work—
He who worketh in all things evermore.
 6In the morning sow thy seed,
And till evening rest not thy hand;
For thou knowest not which of the two shall prosper,
Or whether both shall be good alike.
Rejoice, Young Man, in thy Youth: for the Sorrows of Age are Many and Sure
 7Sweet is the light, and pleasant it is
For the eyes to behold the sun.
 8For, though a man live many years,
All of them filled with gladness,
Yet let him remember the days of darkness,
For many shall they be.
All that cometh is vapour.
 9Rejoice, young man, in thy youth,
And keep thy young heart merry;
Walk in the ways of thy heart,
And in all that allureth thine eyes.
But know that for all these things
God will bring thee to judgment.
 10Put vexation away from thy mind,
And banish all gloom from thy body—
For youth and life's dawn are illusions— 
 12But keep thy Creator in mind
1In the days of thy prime:
Ere the gloomy days come on,
And the years arrive when thou sayest,
" No pleasure are they to me:"
 2The days when the sun grows dark,
And the light, and the moon, and the stars,
And the rain is followed by clouds,
 3And the guards of the house fall a-trembling,
The mighty men are bent,
The grinders cease, being few,
Those that look through the windows are darkened,
 4The doors in the street are shut,
When the sound of the mill is low,
And the twitter of birds is faint,
And the daughters of son are all feeble,
 5Yea, (the old) are afraid of a height,
And the road is for them full of terrors,
The almond-tree wears it blossoms,
The grasshopper limps along,
And the caperberry is powerless;
For the man goes his way to his long, long home,
And the mourners wander about the streets—
 6On the day when the silver cord is snapped,
ANd the bowl (with the) golden (oil) is broken,
And the pitcher is shattered over the spring,
And the wheel falls into the cistern broken,
 7And the dust goes back to the earth as it was,
And the breath returns to the God who gave it.
 8Utterest vanity! The Speaker declareth:
All is vanity.
A Later Addition in Praise of the Book, and, in general, of Wisdom
 9The Speaker, besides being wise, further instructedthe people in knowledge, weighing and searching itout, and arranging it in the form of copious proverbs. 10The Speaker made it his study to devise sayingsthat were at once true and attractive, and to recordthem in proper form.
 11The words of wise men, as collected, are like goads,or like nails driven home; but they are (all) the giftof one shepherd.
 Beyondthese, too, my son, take warning.
Books are so many, their making is endless;
For this is the essence of all that is human.
 14For God will bring every work to the judgment
That is passed on all secret things, good or bad.