Ketuvim
Qohelet5
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 5
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of Elohim, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
any thing before Elohim: for Elohim
is in shamayim, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice
is known by multitude of words.
When thou vowest a vow unto Elohim, defer not to pay it; for
he hath
no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Better
is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the mal'akh, that it
was an error: wherefore should Elohim be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
For in the multitude of dreams and many words
there are also
divers vanities: but fear thou Elohim.
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for
he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and
there be higher than they.
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king
himself
is served by the field.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this
is also vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good
is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding
of them
with their eyes?
The sleep of a labouring man
is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
There is a sore evil
which I have seen under the sun,
namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and
there is nothing in his hand.
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
And this also
is a sore evil,
that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and
he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
Behold
that which I have seen:
it is good and comely
for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which Elohim giveth him: for it
is his portion.
Every man also to whom Elohim hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this
is the gift of Elohim.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because Elohim answereth
him in the joy of his heart.
Ketuvim
Qohelet6
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 6
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it
is
common among men:
A man to whom Elohim hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his nephesh of all that he desireth, yet Elohim giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this
is vanity, and it
is an evil disease.
If a man beget an hundred
children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his nephesh be not filled with good, and also
that he have no burial; I say,
that an untimely birth
is better than he.
For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.
Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known
any thing: this hath more rest than the other.
Yea, though he live a thousand years twice
told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
All the labour of man
is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
Better
is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this
is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it
is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.
Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what
is
man the better?
For who knoweth what
is good for man in
this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
Ketuvim
Qohelet7
Ecclesiastes · Chapter 7
A good name
is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay
it to his heart.
Sorrow
is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
The heart of the wise
is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools
is in the house of mirth.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so
is the laughter of the fool: this also
is vanity.
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
Better
is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:
and the patient in spirit
is better than the proud in spirit.
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Say not thou, What is
the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
Wisdom
is good with an inheritance: and
by it there is
profit to them that see the sun.
For wisdom
is a defence,
and money
is
a defence: but the excellency of knowledge
is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Consider the work of Elohim: for who can make
that straight, which he hath made crooked?
In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Elohim also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
All
things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just
man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked
man that prolongeth
his life in his wickedness.
Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth Elohim shall come forth of them all.
Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty
men which are in the city.
For
there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it
was far from me.
That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason
of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness
and madness:
And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart
is
snares and nets,
and her hands
as bands: whoso pleaseth Elohim shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher,
counting one by one, to find out the account:
Which yet my nephesh seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
Lo, this only have I found, that Elohim hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.