Chapter 5

1 Guard ^{R105 F53} your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice ^R106 of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do ^F54 not be hasty ^R107 in ^F55 word or impulsive ^F56 in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words ^R108 be few. 3 For the dream comes through much effort ^F57 and the voice of a fool ^R109 through many words.

4 When you make ^R110 a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay ^R111 what you vow! 5 It is better ^R112 that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your speech ^F58 cause you ^F59 to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. ^R113 Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. ^F60 Rather, fear ^{R114 F61} God. 8 If you see oppression ^R115 of the poor and denial ^R116 of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked ^R117 at the sight; ^F62 for one official ^F63 watches over another official, ^F63 and there are higher officials ^F64 over them.

9 After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. 10 He ^R118 who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. ^F65 11 When ^R119 good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look ^F66 on? 12 The sleep of the working man is pleasant, ^R120 whether he eats little or much; but the full ^F67 stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches ^R121 being hoarded ^F68 by their owner to his hurt. 14 When those riches were lost through a ^F69 bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to ^F70 support him. 15 As ^R122 he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take ^R123 nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil--exactly as a man is ^F71 born, thus will he die. ^F72 So what ^R124 is the advantage to him who toils ^R125 for the wind? 17 Throughout his life he ^R126 also eats in darkness with great ^R127 vexation, sickness and anger.

18 Here is what I have seen to be good ^R128 and fitting: ^F73 to eat, to drink and enjoy ^F74 oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years ^F75 of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. ^{R129 F76} 19 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God ^R130 has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered ^R131 him to eat from them and to receive his reward ^F77 and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift ^R132 of God. 20 For he will not often consider ^F78 the years ^F79 of his life, because God ^R133 keeps him ^F80 occupied with the gladness of his heart.

Chapter 6

1 There is an evil ^R134 which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among ^F81 men-- 2 a man to whom God has given ^R135 riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks ^R136 nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys ^F82 them. This is vanity ^F83 and a severe affliction. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they ^F84 be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, ^R137 then I say, "Better the ^R138 miscarriage than he, 4 for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity. 5 "It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; it ^F85 is better off than he. 6 "Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not enjoy ^F86 good things--do ^R139 not all go to one place?"

7 All ^R140 a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite ^F87 is not satisfied. ^F88 8 For what ^R141 advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9 What the eyes see ^R142 is better than what the soul desires. ^F89 This too is futility ^R143 and a striving after wind. 10 Whatever exists ^R144 has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot ^R145 dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

11 For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man? 12 For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years ^F90 of his futile life? He will spend ^F91 them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what ^R146 will be after him under the sun?

Chapter 7

1 A good ^R147 name is better than a good ointment, And the day ^R148 of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. 2 It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that ^F92 is the end ^R149 of every man, And the living takes ^{R150 F93} it to heart. ^F94 3 Sorrow ^R151 is better than laughter, For when ^R152 a face is sad a heart may be happy. 4 The mind ^F95 of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind ^F95 of fools is in the house of pleasure. 5 It is better to listen ^R153 to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling ^F96 of thorn ^R154 bushes under a pot, So is the laughter ^R155 of the fool; And this too is futility.

7 For oppression ^R156 makes a wise man mad, And a bribe ^R157 corrupts ^F97 the heart. 8 The end ^R158 of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience ^R159 of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. 9 Do not be eager ^{R160 F98} in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools. 10 Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage ^R161 to those who see the sun. 12 For wisdom ^R162 is protection ^F99 just as money is protection, ^F99 But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom ^R163 preserves the lives of its possessors. 13 Consider the work ^R164 of God, For who is able ^R165 to straighten what He has bent? 14 In ^R166 the day of prosperity be happy, But in ^R167 the day of adversity consider-- God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not ^R168 discover anything that will be after him. 15 I have seen everything during my lifetime ^{R169 F100} of futility; there is a ^R170 righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a ^R171 wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. 16 Do not be excessively righteous ^R172 and do not be ^R173 overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die ^R174 before your time? 18 It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let ^F101 go of the other; for the one who fears ^R175 God comes forth with both ^F102 of them. 19 Wisdom ^R176 strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Indeed, there ^R177 is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. 21 Also, do not take ^F103 seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing ^R178 you. 22 For you ^F104 also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.

23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, "I will be wise," but ^R179 it was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and exceedingly ^R180 mysterious. ^F105 Who ^R181 can discover it? 25 I directed ^{R182 F106} my mind ^F107 to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness. 26 And I discovered more bitter ^R183 than death the woman whose heart is snares ^R184 and nets, whose hands are chains. One ^R185 who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the ^R186 sinner will be captured by her. 27 "Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation, 28 which I ^F108 am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman ^R187 among all these. 29 "Behold, I have found only this, that God ^R188 made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."

Chapter 8

1 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines ^R189 him ^F109 and causes his stern ^R190 face to beam. ^F110 2 I say, "Keep the command ^F111 of the king because of the oath ^R191 before ^F112 God. 3 "Do not be in a hurry to ^{R192 F113} leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases." 4 Since the word of the king is authoritative, who ^R193 will say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 He who keeps ^R194 a royal command experiences ^R195 no trouble, ^F114 for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.

6 For there ^R196 is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man's trouble is heavy upon him. 7 If no one knows ^R197 what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8 No ^R198 man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and evil ^R199 will not deliver those ^F115 who practice it.

9 All this I have seen and applied my mind ^F116 to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority ^R200 over another man to his hurt. 10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon ^R201 forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. 11 Because the sentence ^R202 against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the ^R203 hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen ^R204 his life, still I know that it will be well ^R205 for those who fear God, who fear Him ^F117 openly. 13 But it will not ^R206 be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, ^R207 because he does not fear God.

14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous ^R208 men to whom it happens ^F118 according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil ^R209 men to whom it happens ^F118 according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a ^R210 man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils ^F119 throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. 16 When I gave ^R211 my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never ^{R212 F120} sleep day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man ^R213 cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though ^R214 the wise man should say, "I know," he cannot discover.