Study Desk

While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world.

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.

There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

All the brothers of the poor hate him; How much more do his friends go far from him! He may pursue them with words, yet they abandon him.

Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

The rock badgers [fn] are a feeble folk,Yet they make their homes in the crags;

The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;

She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.

All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.

The wise man's eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.

And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.