Study Desk

Do you see a man skilled in his work?He will stand before kings;He will not stand before obscure men.

Do you make your eyes fly up to see it? But it is not there!Because it certainly makes itself wingsLike an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Your eyes will see strange thingsAnd your heart will speak perverse things.

Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,And turn His anger away from him.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?There is more hope for a fool than for him.

When the wicked increase, transgression increases;But the righteous will see their fall.

Is there anything of which one might say,"See this, it is new"?Already it has been for agesWhich were before us.

I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with gladness, so that you shall see good things." And behold, it too was vanity.

I explored with my heart how to stimulate my body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize simpleminded folly, until I could see where is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives.

So I turned to see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done?

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.

I said in my heart concerning the sons of men, "God is testing them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."

I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be glad in his works, for that is his portion. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?

If you see oppression of the poor and robbery of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished over the matter; for a lofty one keeps watch over another lofty one, and there are loftier ones over them.

Here is what I have seen to be good, which is beautiful: to eat, to drink, and to see good in all one's labor in which he labors under the sun during the few days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion.

Even if the other man lives one thousand years twice and does not see good things—do not all go to the same place?"

What the eyes see is better than what the soul goes after. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

Wisdom along with an inheritance is goodAnd an advantage to those who see the sun.

See the work of God,For who is able to straighten what He has bent?

In the day when there is good be of good cheer,But in the day when there is evil see—God has made the one as well as the otherSo that man will not find out anything that will be after him.