Study Desk

Lazy people will cause their own destruction because they refuse to work.

Generous people will be blessed, because they share their food with the poor.

because people like that can quickly be destroyed. You have no idea how much trouble God and the king can make for their enemies.

These are also words from the wise: A judge must be fair. He must not support some people simply because he knows them.

It is wrong for a judge to support someone simply because he knows them. But some judges will change their decisions for the price of a loaf of bread.

So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy. I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life.

I began to hate all the hard work I had done, because I saw that the people who live after me would get the things that I worked for. I will not be able to take them with me.

So I saw that the best thing people can do is to enjoy what they do, because that is all they have. Besides, no one can help another person see what will happen in the future.

And it is even better for those who die at birth, because they never saw the evil that is done in this world.

Then I thought, "Why do people work so hard?" I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don't want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.

You are only what you were created to be—a human, and it is useless to argue about it. People cannot argue with God about this because he is more powerful than they are, and a long argument will not change that fact.

It is better to go to a funeral than to a party, because everyone must die, and the living need to remember this.

Sorrow is even better than laughter, because when our face is sad, our heart becomes good.

Don't become angry quickly, because anger is foolish.

I say you should always obey the king's command. Do this because you made a promise to God.

So I decided it was more important to enjoy life because the best thing people can do in this life is to eat, drink, and enjoy life. At least that will help people enjoy the hard work God gave them to do during their life on earth.

Don't quit your job simply because the boss is angry with you. If you remain calm and helpful, you can correct even great mistakes.

You will become hard of hearing. You will not hear the noise in the streets. Even the stone grinding your grain will seem quiet to you. You will not be able to hear the women singing. But even the sound of a bird singing will wake you early in the morning because you will not be able to sleep.

Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book? The most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands, because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do.

Strengthen me with raisins; refresh me with apples, because I am weak with love.