| 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! |