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| 1. | Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: -- I have wearied myself for God, I have wearied myself for God, and am consumed. |
| 2. | For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man. |
| 3. | Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know. |
| 4. | Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What is His name? and what His son`s name? Surely thou knowest! |
| 5. | Every saying of God is tried, A shield He is to those trusting in Him. |
| 6. | Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false. |
| 7. | Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die. |
| 8. | Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion, |
| 9. | Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who is Jehovah?` And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God. |
| 10. | Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty. |
| 11. | A generation is, that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless. |
| 12. | A generation -- pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed. |
| 13. | A generation -- how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up. |
| 14. | A generation -- swords are their teeth, And knives -- their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from among men. |
| 15. | To the leech are two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;` |
| 16. | Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth -- it is not satisfied with water, And fire -- it hath not said, `Sufficiency,` |
| 17. | An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles. |
| 18. | Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known: |
| 19. | The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth. |
| 20. | So -- the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.` |
| 21. | For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four -- it is not able to bear: |
| 22. | For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread, |
| 23. | For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress. |
| 24. | Four are little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise: |
| 25. | The ants are a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food, |
| 26. | Conies are a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house, |
| 27. | A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out -- each one shouting, |
| 28. | A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king. |
| 29. | Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going: |
| 30. | An old lion -- mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any, |
| 31. | A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king -- no rising up with him. |
| 32. | If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil -- hand to mouth! |
| 33. | For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife! |