1 Surely there be many things that increase vanitie: and what auaileth it man? 2 For who knoweth what is good for man in the life and in the nomber of the dayes of the life of his vanitie, seeing he maketh them as a shadowe? For who can shewe vnto man what shall be after him vnder the sunne? 3 A good name is better then a good oyntment, and the day of death, then the day that one is borne. 4 It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting, because this is the ende of all men: and the liuing shall lay it to his heart. 5 Anger is better then laughter: for by a sad looke the heart is made better. 6 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth. 7 Better it is to heare ye rebuke of a wise man, then that a man should heare the song of fooles. 8 For like ye noyse of the thornes vnder the pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie. 9 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and the rewarde destroyeth the heart. 10 The ende of a thing is better then the beginning thereof, and the pacient in spirit is better then the proude in spirit. 11 Be not thou of an hastie spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles. 12 Say not thou, Why is it that the former dayes were better then these? for thou doest not enquire wisely of this thing. 13 Wisedome is good with an inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sunne. 14 For man shall rest in the shadowe of wisedome, and in the shadowe of siluer: but the excellencie of the knowledge of wisedome giueth life to the possessers thereof. 15 Beholde the worke of God: for who can make straight that which he hath made crooked? 16 In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man shoulde finde nothing after him. 17 I haue seene all things in the dayes of my vanitie: there is a iust man that perisheth in his iustice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice. 18 Be not thou iust ouermuch, neither make thy selfe ouerwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate? 19 Be not thou wicked ouermuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time? 20 It is good that thou lay hold on this: but yet withdrawe not thine hand from that: for he that feareth God, shall come forth of them all. 21 Wisedome shall strengthen the wise man more then ten mightie princes that are in ye citie. 22 Surely there is no man iust in the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. 23 Giue not thine heart also to all ye wordes that men speake, lest thou doe heare thy seruant cursing thee. 24 For often times also thine heart knoweth that thou likewise hast cursed others. 25 All this haue I prooued by wisedome: I thought I will be wise, but it went farre from me. 26 It is farre off, what may it be? and it is a profound deepenesse, who can finde it? 27 I haue compassed about, both I and mine heart to knowe and to enquire and to search wisedome, and reason, and to knowe the wickednesse of follie, and the foolishnesse of madnesse, 28 And I finde more bitter then death the woman whose heart is as nettes and snares, and her handes, as bands: he that is good before God, shalbe deliuered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her. 29 Beholde, sayth the Preacher, this haue I found, seeking one by one to finde the count: 30 And yet my soule seeketh, but I finde it not: I haue found one man of a thousand: but a woman among them all haue I not founde. 31 Onely loe, this haue I founde, that God hath made man righteous: but they haue sought many inuentions.
Thoughts about Life
1 A good reputation is better than expensive perfume; and the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2 It is better to go to a home where there is mourning than to one where there is a party, because the living should always remind themselves that death is waiting for us all.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; it may sadden your face, but it sharpens your understanding.
4 Someone who is always thinking about happiness is a fool. A wise person thinks about death.
5 It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.
6 When a fool laughs, it is like thorns crackling in a fire. It doesn't mean a thing.
7 You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.
8 The end of something is better than its beginning.
Patience is better than pride.
9 Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge.
10 Never ask, “Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?” It's not an intelligent question.
11 Everyone who lives ought to be wise; it is as good as receiving an inheritance 12 and will give you as much security as money can. Wisdom keeps you safe—this is the advantage of knowledge.
13 Think about what God has done. How can anyone straighten out what God has made crooked? 14 When things are going well for you, be glad, and when trouble comes, just remember: God sends both happiness and trouble; you never know what is going to happen next.
15 My life has been useless, but in it I have seen everything. Some good people may die while others live on, even though they are evil. 16 So don't be too good or too wise—why kill yourself? 17 But don't be too wicked or too foolish, either—why die before you have to? 18 Avoid both extremes. If you have reverence for God, you will be successful anyway.
19 Wisdom does more for a person than ten rulers can do for a city.
20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.
21 Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you, 22 and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.
23 I used my wisdom to test all of this. I was determined to be wise, but it was beyond me. 24 How can anyone discover what life means? It is too deep for us, too hard to understand. 25 But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.
26 I found something more bitter than death—the woman who is like a trap. The love she offers you will catch you like a net, and her arms around you will hold you like a chain. A man who pleases God can get away, but she will catch the sinner. 27 Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers. 28 I have looked for other answers but have found none. I found one man in a thousand that I could respect, but not one woman. 29 This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.