mighty men which are in the city. 20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and finneth not. 21 Alfo take no heed unto all words that are spoken, left thou hear thy fervant curfe thee : I found; but a woman among 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. 22 For oftentimes alfo WHO is as the wife thine own heart knoweth eth the interpretation of a that thou thyfelf likewise haft curfed others. 23¶ All this have I proved by wisdom: I faid, I will be wife; but it was far from me. 24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? 25 I applied mine heart to know and to fearch, and to feek out wisdom, and the reafon of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness : 26 And I find more bitter -than death the woman whose 'heart is fnares and nets, and thing? a man's wisdom makketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hafty to go out of his fight: ftand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4 Where the word of a king is, there is power': and who may say unto him, What doeft thou? 5. Whofo keepeth the commandment fhall feel no her hands as bands: whofo evil thing: and a 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 1 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 fhall be? 8 There is no man that hath hath power over the fpirit to retain the spirit; neither bath he 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 fentence against 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 shall he prolong his days which are as a fhadow; because he feareth not before God. whom it happeneth according 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. 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. OR all this I confidered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righ 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, teous and the wife, and their that there be just men unto works are in the hands of God: no man knoweth wine with a merry heart: either love or hatred by all for God now accepteth thy that is before them. works. ...... 2 All things come alike to 8 Let thy garments, be all there is one event to the always white; and let thy righteous, and to the wick-head lack no ointment. ed to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificeth not as is the good, fo is the finner; and he that fweareth, as he that feareth an oath, 3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the fun, that there is one event unto all yea, alfo the heart of the fons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart, while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they fhall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou loveft all the days of the life of thy vanity which he hath given thee under the fun, all the days, of thy vanity for that is thy portion, in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the fun, 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. III returned, and faw under the fun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the ftrang, neither yet bread to the wife, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of fkill: but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the fnare: so are the fons of men fnared in an 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done un-evil time, when it falleth fudder the fun. denly upon them. 7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy 13 This wisdom have I feen also under the fun, and it Seemed feemed great unto me: 4 If the fpirit of the ruler 14 There was a little city, rife up against thee, leave not› and few men within it; and thy place for yielding paċi-* there came a great king a-fieth great offences. gainst it, and befieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. I 5 There is an evil which have seen under the fun, as an error which proceedeth 15 Now there was found from the ruler, in it a poor wife man, and he 6 Folly isfet in great by his wifdóm delivered the dignity, and the rich fit in city: yet no man remem- low place. Jeg oda a bered that fame poor man. 71 have feen fervants up V16 Then faid I, Wisdom on horses, and princes walkis better than ftrength: ne-ing as fervants upon the vertheless, the poor man's earth hubun his wifdom is defpifed, and his werds are not heard. 17 The words of wife men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one finner deftroyeth much good. CHAP. X. D 8 He that diggeth a pit i Thall fall into it, and whofo breaketh an hedge, a ferpent hall bite him. 9 Whofo removeth stones: fhall be hurt therewith: ands he that cleaveth wood fhall be endangered thereby. 10 If the iron' be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more EAD flies cause the strength: but wifdom is proointment of the apo-fitable to direct. thecary to fend forth a ftinking favour: fo doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wifdom and honour. 2 A wife man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. 3 Yea alfo, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wifdom faileth him, and he faith to every one that he is a fool. II Surely the ferpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. 12 The words of a wife man's mouth are gracious : but the lips of a fool will fwallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolifhnefs: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 14 A fool alfo is full of words: words: a man cannot tell be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if the tree fall toward the fouth, or the 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of toward the north; in them, because he knoweth place where the tree falleth not how to go to the city. there it fhall be. 4He 16 Wo to the, O land,4 He that obferveth the ¶ when thy king is a child, wind fhall not fow; and he and thy princes eat in the that regardeth the clouds and thy princes afhall not reapoweft not morning! 17 Bleffed art thou, O land, when thy king is the fon of nobles, and thy princes eat in due feafon, for ftrength, and not for drunkenne's 18¶ By much flothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. 19 A feaft is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. As thou what is the way of the fpirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even fo thou knoweft not the works, of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning fow thy feed, and in the evening withhold hot thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall profper, either this or that, or whether they both fhall be alike good. 20 Curfe not the king, no, not in thy thought; and 7 Truly the light is curfe not the rich in thy bed-fweet, and a pleasant thing it chamber: for a bird of the is for the eyes to behold the air fhall carry the voice, and fun: that which hath wings fhall tell the matter. 8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they fhall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young ¶ man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in |