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For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter-- On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter.

There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.

A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he--

even if he lives a thousand years twice--but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise"; But it was far from me.

And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found.

Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes."

But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.