Page images
PDF
EPUB

known by multitude of words. | faving the beholding of them 4 When thou voweft a with their eyes? vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleafure in fools: pay that which thou haft vowed.

5 Better is it that thou fhouldeft not vow, than that thou shouldeft vow and not

pay.

12 The fleep of a labouring man is fweet, whether he eat little or much but the abundance of the rich will not fuffer him to fleep.

13 There is a fore evil which I have seen under the fun, namely, riches kept for 6 Suffer not thy mouth to the owners thereof to their cause thy flesh to fin; nei-hurt. ther fay thou before the angel that it was an error wherefore fhould God be angry at thy voice, and deftroy the work of thine hands?

14 But thofe riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a fon, and there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked fhall he return to go as he came, and fhall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are alfo divers vanities: but fear thou God. 8 If thou feeft the op-away in his hand. preffion of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and juftice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for be that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be higher than they.

9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all the king himself is ferved by the field.

io He that loveth filver fhall not be fatisfied with filver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase. This alfo is vanity.

11 When goods increafe, they are increafed that eat them and what good is there to the owners thereof,

16 And this alfo is a fore evil, that in all points as he came, fo fhall he go and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind ?

17 All his days alfo he eateth in darknefs, and he bath much forrow and wrath with his ficknefs.

18 Behold that which I have feen: 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 fun, all the days of his life which God giveth him; for it is his portion.

19 Every man alfo to whom

whom God 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 God.

20 For he fhall not much remember the days of his life; because God anfwereth him in the joy of his heart. CHAP. VI.

ΤΗ

than the other.

6¶Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good : do not all go to one place?

7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

8 For what hath the wife more than the fool? what hath the poor that knoweth to walk before the living?

9 Better is the fight of the

HERE is an evil which I have seen un-eyes, than the wandering of der the fun, and it is common among men:

the defire. This is alfo va-
nity and vexation of spirit.
10 That which hath been

2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, is named already, and it is and honour, fo that he want-known that it is man: neieth nothing for his foul of all ther may he contend with that he defireth, yet God him that is mightier than giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity; and it is

an evil disease.

3 If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, fo that the days of his years be many, and his foul be not filled with good,

he.

II ¶ Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he fpendeth as a fhadow? for who can tell a and alfo that he have no bu-man what shall be after hi rial; I fay, that an untimely under the fun?

birth is better than he :

4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

5 Moreover, he hath not feen the fun, nor known any thing this hath more reft

[blocks in formation]

his heart.

to go to the house of feafting: 12 For wifdom is a defor that is the end of all men ; fence, and money is a deand the living will lay it to fence but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom 3 Sorrow is better than giveth life to them that have laughter; for by the fadnefsit. of the countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wife is in the houfe of mourning: but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wife, than for a man to hear the fong of fools:

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, fo is the laughter of the fool. This alfo is vanity.

7 Surely oppreffion maketh a wife man mad, and a gift deftroyeth the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof and the patient in fpirit is better than the proud in fpirit.

9 Be not hafty in thy fpirit to be angry; for anger refteth in the bofom of fools.

10 Say not thou, What is the caufe that the former days were better than these? for thou doft not enquire wifely concerning this.

11 Wifdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that fee the fun.

13 Confider the work of God: for who can make that ftraight which he hath made crooked?

14 In the day of profperity be joyful; but in the day of adverfity confider: God also hath fet the one over against the other, to the end that man fhould find nothing after him.

15 All things have I feen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perifheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyfelf over-wife: why fhouldest thou deftroy thyfelf?

17 Be wicked; neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

not overmuch

18 It is good that thou fhouldeft take hold of this; yea, alfo from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God fhall come forth of them all.

19 Wisdom ftrengtheneth the wife more than ten

mighty men which are in the | I found; but a woman among

city.

20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and finneth not.

21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken, left thou hear thy fervant curfe thee : 22

all thofe have I not found.

29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. CHAP. VIII.

HO is as the

For oftentimes alfo W man? and who wife

thine own heart knoweth that thou thyfelf likewife haft curfed others.

23 ¶ All this have I proved by wisdom: I faid, I will be wife; but it was far from me.

knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wifdom makketh his face to fhine, and the boldness of his face fhall be changed.

2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of

24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can | God. find it out?

25 I applied.mine heart to know and to fearch, and to feek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

3 Be not hafty to go out of his fight: ftand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatfoever pleafeth him.

4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may fay unto him, What doeft thou?

26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whofe 5 Whofo keepeth the heart is fnares and nets, and commandment fhall feel no her hands as bands whofo evil thing: and à wife man's pleaseth God fhall efcape heart difcerneth both time from her; but the finner fhall be taken by her.

27 Behold, this have I found, faith the Preacher, counting one by one to find out the account;

28 Which yet my foul feeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have

and judgment.

6 Because to every purpofe there is time and judgment, therefore the mifery of man is great upon him.

7 For he knoweth not that which fhall be, for who can tell him when it shall be ?

8 There is no man that hath

hath power over the spirit to whom it happeneth accordretain the spirit; neither bathing to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I faid, that this allo is vanity.

be power in the day of death: and there is no difcharge in that war: neither fhall wickedness deliver thofe that are given to it.

9 All this have I feen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the fun there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

:

10 And fo I faw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the Holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had fo done. This is alfo vanity.

11 Because sentence againft an evil work is not executed fpeedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil.

12 Though a finner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet furely I know that it fhall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him.

13 But it fhall not be well with the wicked, neither fhall he prolong his days which are as a fhadow; because he feareth not before God. 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there be just men unto

15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the fun, than to eat and to drink, and to be merry: for that fhall abide with him of his labour the days of his life which God giveth him under the fun.

16 ¶ When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to fee the business that is done upon the earth: (for alfo there is that neither day nor night feeth fleep with his eyes :)

17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the fun: becaufe though a man labour to feek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea, farther, though a wife man think to know it, yet fhall he not be able to find it.

F

CHAP. IX.

OR all this I confidered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous and the wife, and their works are in the hand of

« PreviousContinue »