Bible (American Standard)/Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes or, The Preacher
==Chapter 1==
 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in
Jerusalem. 
 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity
of vanities, all is vanity. 
 What profit hath man of all
his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun? 
 One
generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth
abideth for ever. 
 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth
down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth. 
 The wind
goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it
turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth
again to its circuits. 
 All the rivers run into the sea,
yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go,
thither they go again. 
 All things are full of weariness;
man cannot utter [it]: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor
the ear filled with hearing. 
 That which hath been is that
which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which
shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 
 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it
hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us. 
 There is no remembrance of the former [generations]; neither
shall there be any remembrance of the latter [generations] that
are to come, among those that shall come after. 
 I the
Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 
 And I applied
my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that
is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given
to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. 
 I have seen
all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is
vanity and a striving after wind. 
 That which is crooked
cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be
numbered. 
 I communed with mine own hear, saying, Lo, I
have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in
Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and
knowledge. 
 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to
know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a
striving after wind. 
 For in much wisdom is much grief;
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
==Chapter 2==
 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with
mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was
vanity. 
 I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What
doeth it? 
 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh
with wine, my heart yet guiding [me] with wisdom, and how to lay
hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of
men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.
 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me
vineyards; 
 I made me gardens and parks, and I planted
trees in them of all kinds of fruit; 
 I made me pools of
water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;
 I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants
born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and
flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem; 
 I
gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and
of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and
the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that
of all sorts. 
 So I was great, and increased more than all
that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with
me. 
 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from
them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart
rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from
all my labor. 
 Then I looked on all the works that my
hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do;
and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there
was no profit under the sun. 
 And I turned myself to
behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man
[do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been
done long ago. 
 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as
far as light excelleth darkness. 
 The wise man's eyes are
in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I
perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 
 Then said
I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen
even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my
heart, that this also is vanity. 
 For of the wise man,
even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing
that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And
how doth the wise man die even as the fool! 
 So I hated
life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was
grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
 And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun,
seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
 And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool?
yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored,
and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also
is vanity. 
 Therefore, I turned about to cause my heart to
despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the
sun. 
 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and
with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not
labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is
vanity and a great evil. 
 For what hath a man of all his
labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth
under the sun? 
 For all his days are [but] sorrows, and
his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no
rest. This also is vanity. 
 There is nothing better for a
man [than] that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy
good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of
God. 
 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more
than I? 
 For to the man that pleaseth him [God] giveth
wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth
travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that
pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
==Chapter 3==
 For everything there is a season, and a time for every
purpose under heaven: 
 a time to be born, and a time to
die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted; 
 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to
break down, and a time to build up; 
 a time to weep, and a
time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 
 a
time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 
 a
time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to
cast away; 
 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to
keep silence, and a time to speak; 
 a time to love, and a
time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 
 What
profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? 
 I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men
to be exercised therewith. 
 He hath made everything
beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart,
yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from
the beginning even to the end. 
 I know that there is
nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long
as they live. 
 And also that every man should eat and
drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.
 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever:
nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God
hath done it, that men should fear before him. 
 That which
is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago
been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away. 
 And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that
wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that
wickedness was there. 
 I said in my heart, God will judge
the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for
every purpose and for every work. 
 I said in my heart, [It
is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and
that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts.
 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth
beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so
dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no
preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. 
 All go
unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
 Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward,
and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the
earth? 
 Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than
that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion:
for who shall bring him [back] to see what shall be after him?
==Chapter 4==
 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are
done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were
oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their
oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. 
 Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than
the living that are yet alive; 
 yea, better than them both
[did I esteem] him that hath not yet been, who hath not seen the
evil work that is done under the sun. 
 Then I saw all labor
and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his
neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 
 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
 Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls
with labor and striving after wind. 
 Then I returned and
saw vanity under the sun. 
 There is one that is alone, and
he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet
is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied
with riches. For whom then, [saith he], do I labor, and deprive
my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward
for their labor. 
 For if they fall, the one will lift up
his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and
hath not another to lift him up. 
 Again, if two lie
together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm
[alone]? 
 And if a man prevail against him that is alone,
two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly
broken. 
 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and
foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition any
more. 
 For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea,
even in his kingdom he was born poor. 
 I saw all the
living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth,
the second, that stood up in his stead. 
 There was no end
of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they
that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is
vanity and a striving after wind.
==Chapter 5==
 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for
to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of
fools: for they know not that they do evil. 
 Be not rash
with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything
before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore
let thy words be few. 
 For a dream cometh with a multitude
of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words. 
 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he
hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest. 
 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou
shouldest vow and not pay. 
 Suffer not thy mouth to cause
thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that is was
an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and
destroy the work of thy hands? 
 For in the multitude of
dreams there are vanities, and in many words: but fear thou God.
 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent
taking away of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel
not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and
there are higher than they. 
 Moreover, the profit of the
earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.
 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver;
nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this also is
vanity. 
 When goods increase, they are increased that eat
them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the
beholding [of them] with his eyes? 
 The sleep of a
laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the
fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 
 There
is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, [namely],
riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt: 
 and those
riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son,
there is nothing in his hand. 
 As he came forth from his
mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall
take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as
he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he
laboreth for the wind? 
 All his days also he eateth in
darkness, and he is sore vexed, and hath sickness and wrath.
 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be
comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all
his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of
his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.
 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth,
and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his
portion, and to rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.
 For he shall not much remember the days of his life;
because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.
==Chapter 6==
 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and
it is heavy upon men: 
 a man to whom God giveth riches,
wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of
all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat
thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an
evil disease. 
 If a man beget a hundred children, and live
many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul
be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say,
that an untimely birth is better than he: 
 for it cometh in
vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is
covered with darkness; 
 moreover it hath not seen the sun
nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other: 
 yea,
though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no
good, do not all go to one place? 
 All the labor of man is
for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 
 For
what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? [or] what hath
the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living? 
 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the
desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. 
 Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and
it is know what man is; neither can he contend with him that is
mightier than he. 
 Seeing there are many things that
increase vanity, what is man the better? 
 For who knoweth
what is good for man in [his] life, all the days of his vain
life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what
shall be after him under the sun?
==Chapter 7==
 A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day
of death, than the day of one's birth. 
 It is better to go
to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting:
for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to
his heart. 
 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the
sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad. 
 The
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth. 
 It is better to hear the
rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the
laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 
 Surely
extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth
the understanding. 
 Better is the end of a thing than the
beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than
the proud in spirit. 
 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be
angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 
 Say not
thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than
these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. 
 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it
for them that see the sun. 
 For wisdom is a defence, even
as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that
wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it. 
 Consider
the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath
made crooked? 
 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in
the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side
by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out
anything [that shall be] after him. 
 All this have I seen
in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in
his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth
[his life] in his evil-doing. 
 Be not righteous overmuch;
neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy
thyself? 
 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish:
why shouldest thou die before thy time? 
 It is good that
thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw
not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them
all. 
 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten
rulers that are in a city. 
 Surely there is not a
righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
 Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest
thou hear thy servant curse thee; 
 for oftentimes also
thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed
others. 
 All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will
be wise; but it was far from me. 
 That which is, is far
off and exceeding deep; who can find it out? 
 I turned
about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to
seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that
wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness. 
 And
I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares
and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall
escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 
 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one
thing to another, to find out the account; 
 which my soul
still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand
have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man
upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
==Chapter 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 hardness of his face is changed. 
 I [counsel
thee], Keep the king's command, and that in regard of the oath
of God. 
 Be not hasty to go out of his presence; persist
not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
 For the king's word [hath] power; and who may say unto
him, What doest thou? 
 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall
know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth time and
judgment: 
 for to every purpose there is a time and
judgment; because the misery of man is great upon him: 
 for
he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it
shall be? 
 There is no man that hath power over the spirit
to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of
death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall
wickedness deliver him that is given to it. 
 All this have
I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under
the sun: [there is] a time wherein one man hath power over
another to his hurt. 
 So I saw the wicked buried, and they
came [to the grave]; and they that had done right went away from
the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is
vanity. 
 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. 
 Though a sinner do evil a
hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet surely I know that it
shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him:
 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. 
 There is a vanity which is done
upon the earth, that there are righteous men unto 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. 
 Then I
commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the
sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall
abide with him in his labor [all] the days of his life which God
hath given him under the sun. 
 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), 
 then I beheld all the work of God, that man
cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because
however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find
it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall
he not be able to find it.
==Chapter 9==
 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all
this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in
the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it
not; all is before them. 
 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. 
 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun,
that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the
sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while
they live, and after that [they go] to the dead. 
 For to
him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a
living dog is better than a dead lion. 
 For the living know
that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither
have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is
forgotten. 
 As well their love, as their hatred and their
envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion
for ever in anything that is done under the sun. 
 Go thy
way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry
heart; for God hath already accepted thy works. 
 Let thy
garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil. 
 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy
life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy
days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy
labor wherein thou laborest under the sun. 
 Whatsoever thy
hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for there is no
work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither
thou goest. 
 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the
race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither
yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding,
nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to
them all. 
 For man also knoweth not his time: as the
fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are
caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an
evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. 
 I have
also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great
unto me: 
 There was a little city, and few men within it;
and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and
built great bulwarks against it. 
 Now there was found in
it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet
no man remembered that same poor man. 
 Then said I, Wisdom
is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is
despised, and his words are not heard. 
 The words of the
wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth
among fools. 
 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but
one sinner destroyeth much good.
==Chapter 10==
 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth
an evil odor; [so] doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and
honor. 
 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a
fool's heart at his left. 
 Yea also, when the fool walketh
by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every
one [that] he is a fool. 
 If the spirit of the ruler rise
up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth
great offences. 
 There is an evil which I have seen under
the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
 folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low
place. 
 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes
walking like servants upon the earth. 
 He that diggeth a
pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a
serpent shall bite him. 
 Whoso heweth out stones shall be
hurt therewith; [and] he that cleaveth wood is endangered
thereby. 
 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the
edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is
profitable to direct. 
 If the serpent bite before it is
charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer. 
 The
words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool
will swallow up himself. 
 The beginning of the words of
his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous
madness. 
 A fool also multiplieth words: [yet] man
knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him,
who can tell him? 
 The labor of fools wearieth every one
of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city. 
 Woe
to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat
in the morning! 
 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is
the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for
strength, and not for drunkenness! 
 By slothfulness the
roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house
leaketh. 
 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh
glad the life; and money answereth all things. 
 Revile
not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in
thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice,
and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
==Chapter 11==
 Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it
after many days. 
 Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto
eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon
the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the
north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.
 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that
regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 
 As thou knowest not
what is the way of the wind, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in
the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the
work of God who doeth all. 
 In the morning sow thy seed,
and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not
which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both
shall be alike good. 
 Truly the light is sweet, and a
pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. 
 Yea,
if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let
him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All
that cometh is vanity. 
 Rejoice, O young man, in thy
youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth,
and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine
eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring
thee into judgment. 
 Therefore, remove sorrow from thy
heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn
of life are vanity.
==Chapter 12==
 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth,
before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 
 before the sun,
and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and
the clouds return after the rain; 
 in the day when the
keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow
themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and
those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, 
 and
the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the
grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird,
and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; 
 yea,
they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and terrors [shall
be] in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the
grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because
man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the
streets: 
 before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden
bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the
wheel broken at the cistern, 
 and the dust returneth to
the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave
it. 
 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is
vanity. 
 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he
still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought
out, [and] set in order many proverbs. 
 The Preacher
sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written
uprightly, [even] words of truth. 
 The words of the wise
are as goads; and as nails well fastened are [the words of] the
masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.
 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many
books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the
flesh. 
 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been
heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the
whole [duty] of man. 
 For God will bring every work into
judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil.