1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,
so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.
2A wise person chooses the right road;
a fool takes the wrong one.
3You can identify fools
just by the way they walk down the street!
4If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!
A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake
8When you dig a well,
you might fall in.
When you demolish an old wall,
you could be bitten by a snake.
9When you work in a quarry,
stones might fall and crush you.
When you chop wood,
there is danger with each stroke of your ax.
10Using a dull ax requires great strength,
so sharpen the blade.
That’s the value of wisdom;
it helps you succeed.
11If a snake bites before you charm it,
what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
12Wise words bring approval,
but fools are destroyed by their own words.
13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,
so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
14they chatter on and on.
No one really knows what is going to happen;
no one can predict the future.
15Fools are so exhausted by a little work
that they can’t even find their way home.
16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,*10:16 Or a child.
the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
17Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader
and whose leaders feast at the proper time
to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
18Laziness leads to a sagging roof;
idleness leads to a leaky house.
19A party gives laughter,
wine gives happiness,
and money gives everything!
20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.
And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.
For a little bird might deliver your message
and tell them what you said.
1Send your grain across the seas,
and in time, profits will flow back to you.*11:1 Or Give generously, / for your gifts will return to you later. Hebrew reads Throw your bread on the waters, / for after many days you will find it again.
2But divide your investments among many places,*11:2 Hebrew among seven or even eight.
for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.
3When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.
Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.
4Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb,*11:5 Some manuscripts read Just as you cannot understand how breath comes to a tiny baby in its mother’s womb. so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
6Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
7Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.
8When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.
9Young people,*11:9 Hebrew Young man. it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.
1Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
4Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.
5Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.
6Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.
8“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”
9Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.
11The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd*12:11 Or one shepherd. drives the sheep.
12But, my child,*12:12 Hebrew my son. let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
13That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
1Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,*8:1 Greek brothers. what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
3For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
6So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving.
8I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
10Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.
“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”*8:15 Exod 16:18.
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2High and low,
rich and poor—listen!
3For my words are wise,
and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4I listen carefully to many proverbs
and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
5Why should I fear when trouble comes,
when enemies surround me?
6They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
7Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death*49:7 Some Hebrew manuscripts read no one can redeem the life of another.
by paying a ransom to God.
8Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
9to live forever
and never see the grave.
10Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
11The grave*49:11 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Their inward [thought]. is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
12but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
13This is the fate of fools,
though they are remembered as being wise.*49:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Interlude
14Like sheep, they are led to the grave,*49:14 Hebrew Sheol; also in 49:14b, 15.
where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their grand estates.
15But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.
Interlude
16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
and their homes become ever more splendid.
17For when they die, they take nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18In this life they consider themselves fortunate
and are applauded for their success.
19But they will die like all before them
and never again see the light of day.
20People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
they will die, just like animals.
20I have written thirty sayings*22:20 Or excellent sayings; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. for you,
filled with advice and knowledge.
21In this way, you may know the truth
and take an accurate report to those who sent you.