Ketuvim
Qohelet10
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 10
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour:
so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom
and honour.
A wise man’s heart
is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom 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 yielding pacifieth great offences.
There is an evil
which I have seen under the sun, as an error
which proceedeth from the ruler:
Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith;
and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom
is profitable to direct.
Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
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 is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because 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!
Blessed
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 much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all
things.
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Ketuvim
Qohelet11
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 11
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, and also to 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 the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall 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 spirit,
nor
how the bones
do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of Elohim who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either 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:
But if a man live many years,
and rejoice in them all; yet 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 thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these
things Elohim will bring thee into judgment.
Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth
are vanity.
Ketuvim
Qohelet12
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 12
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor 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 be darkened,
And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
Also
when they shall be afraid of
that which is
high, and fears
shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto Elohim who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all
is vanity.
And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out,
and set in order many proverbs.
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and
that which was written
was upright,
even words of truth.
The words of the wise
are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies,
which are given from one shepherd.
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books
there is no end; and much study
is a weariness of the flesh.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Elohim, and keep his mitsvot: for this
is the whole
duty of man.
For Elohim shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether
it be good, or whether
it be evil.