1 Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,
for calmness1 will lay great offenses to rest.
5 eThere is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 I have seen fslaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit will gfall into it,
and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.2
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,3
but the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 A fool hmultiplies words,
though ino man knows what is to be,
and jwho can tell him what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know the way to the city.
16 Woe to you, O land, kwhen your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes lfeast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 mThrough sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and nwine gladdens life,
and money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, do not ocurse the king,
nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you pknow not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb4 of a woman with child, so you do not know the qwork of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes rto see the sun.
8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the sdays of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.5
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the tsight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into ujudgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain6 from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near vof which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,7 and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the wdust returns to the earth as it was, and the xspirit returns to God who gave it. 8 yVanity8 of vanities, says the zPreacher; all is vanity.
Fear God and Keep His Commandments
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many aproverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 bThe words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one cShepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and dmuch study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. eFear God and keep his commandments, for fthis is the whole duty of man.9 14 For gGod will bring every deed into judgment, with10 every secret thing, hwhether good or evil.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle—anot from men nor through man, bbut cthrough Jesus Christ and God the Father, dwho raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers1 who are with me,
To ethe churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who fgave himself gfor our sins to deliver us from the hpresent evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that iyou are so quickly deserting him who jcalled you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a kdifferent gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who ltrouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to mthe one we preached to you, let him be naccursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now oseeking the papproval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant2 of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is qnot rman’s gospel.3 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I sreceived it through a trevelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in uJudaism, how I vpersecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And wI was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the xtraditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had yset me apart zbefore I was born,4 and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased ato reveal his Son to5 me, bin order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;6 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then cafter three years I went up to Jerusalem dto visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, ebefore God, fI do not lie!) 21 gThen I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to hthe churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And ithey glorified God because of me.
