Study Desk

For I have taken all this to my heart, even to ^(F1)examine ^(F2)it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are ^(C1)in the hand of God. ^(C2)People do not know whether it will be ^(C3)love or hatred; anything ^(F3)awaits them.

^(C1)It is the same for all. There is ^(C2)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who ^(F1)is afraid to swear an oath.

This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is ^(C1)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, ^(C2)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and ^(C3)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead.

For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion.

For the living know that they will die; but the dead ^(C1)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their ^(C2)memory is forgotten.

Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a ^(C1)share in all that is done under the sun.

Go then, ^(C1)eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.

See that your ^(C1)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of ^(C2)oil on your head.

^(F1)Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your ^(C1)futile life which He has given you under the sun, ^(F2)all the days of your futility; for this is your ^(C2)reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever your hand finds to do, ^(C1)do it with all your might; for there is no ^(C2)activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in ^(C3)Sheol where you are going.

I again saw under the sun that the ^(C1)race is not to the swift and the ^(C2)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor ^(C3)wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and ^(C4)chance overtake them all.

For indeed, a person does not ^(C1)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and ^(C2)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are ^(C3)ensnared at an evil time when it ^(C4)suddenly falls on them.

This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and ^(F1)it impressed me:

there ^(C1)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it.

But there was found in it a ^(C1)poor wise man, and he ^(F1)saved the city ^(C2)by his wisdom. Yet ^(C3)no one remembered that poor man.

So I said, "^(C1)Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are ^(F1)ignored.

The ^(C1)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

^(C1)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(C2)one sinner destroys much good.

Dead flies turn a ^(C1)perfumer's oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more ^(F1)potent than wisdom and honor.

A wise person's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(C1)person's heart directs him toward the left.

Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^(F1)sense is lacking, and he ^(F2)(C1)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

If the ruler's ^(F1)temper rises against you, ^(C1)do not abandon your place, because ^(C2)composure puts great offenses to rest.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler:

^(C1)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places.

I have seen ^(C1)slaves riding ^(C2)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^(C1)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(C2)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall.

One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

If the ^(F1)axe is dull and he does not sharpen its ^(F2)edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success.

If the serpent bites ^(F1)(C1)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer.

^(C1)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a ^(C2)fool consume him;

the beginning of ^(F1)his talking is foolishness, and the end of ^(F2)it is evil ^(C1)insanity.

Yet the ^(C1)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(C2)what will come after him?

The labor of ^(F1)a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city.

Woe to you, land whose ^(C1)king is a boy, and whose princes ^(F1)feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for ^(C1)drunkenness.

Through ^(C1)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks.

People prepare a meal for enjoyment, ^(C1)wine makes life joyful, and ^(C2)money ^(F1)is the answer to everything.

Furthermore, ^(C1)in your bedroom do not ^(C2)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.