Proverbs 31

1 The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

2 What, my son? and what, O son of my womb?3 Give not thy strength unto women,4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine;5 Lest they drink, and forget the law,6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty,8 Open thy mouth for the dumb,9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously,10 A worthy woman who can find?11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her,12 She doeth him good and not evil13 She seeketh wool and flax,14 She is like the merchant-ships;15 She riseth also while it is yet night,16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it;17 She girdeth her loins with strength,18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable:19 She layeth her hands to the distaff,20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor;21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household;22 She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry;23 Her husband is known in the gates,24 She maketh linen garments and selleth them,25 Strength and dignity are her clothing;26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom;27 She looketh well to the ways of her household,28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed;29 Many daughters have done worthily,30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain;31 Give her of the fruit of her hands;

Ecclesiastes 1

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.3 What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?4 One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.6 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.7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.8 All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.9 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.10 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.11 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.12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.13 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.14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.16 I communed with mine own heart, 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.17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 2

1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.2 I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?3 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.4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;5 I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;6 I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;7 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;8 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.9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.10 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.11 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.12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king?13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.14 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.15 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.16 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!17 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.18 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.19 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.20 Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.21 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.22 For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?23 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.24 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.25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?26 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.