Vanities in divine service. ECCLESIASTES. withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 13 Better is a poor and a wise child, than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. 14 For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. 15 I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. 16 There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit. CHAP. V. 1 Vanities in divine service, 8 in murmuring against oppression, and in riches. 18.Joy in riches is the gift of God. KEEP thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. The vanity of riches. shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? 17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. 18 ¶ Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. riches and wealth, and hath given him power 19 Every man also to whom God hath given to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. 20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart. CHAP. VI. 1 The vanity of riches without use. 3 Of children, 6 and old age without riches. 9 The vanity of sight and wandering desires. 11 The conclusion of vanities. TRE is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God hath given riches, 3 For a dream cometh through the multi-thing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth notude of business; and a fool's voice is known God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but by multitude of words. 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, de-a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is fer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in an evil disease. fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. 8¶ If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. 9 Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. 10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil travail : and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. 3¶ If a man beget an hundred children, and be many, and his soul be not filled with good, live many years, so that the days of his years and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. eth in darkness, and his name shall be cover4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departed with darkness. known any thing: this hath more rest than 5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor the other. twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not and yet the appetite is not filled. fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and it is known that it is man: neither may in this life, all the days of his vain life which 1 Remedies against vanity are, a good name, 2 mortification, 7patience, 11 wisdom. 23 The difficulty of wisdom. GOOD name is better than precious 15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, A ointment; and the day of death than the naked shall he return to go as he came, and day of one's birth. Remedies against vanity. CHAP. VIII. 2¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools: 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 7¶ Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for Rulers to be respected. 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account; 28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have 1 found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. CHAP. VIII. 1 Kings are greatly to be respected. 6 The divine providence is to be observed. 12 It is better with the godly in adversity, than with the wicked in prosperity. 16 The work of God is unsearchable. is as wise man? and who anger reset in the bosom of foouse that the W knoweth the interpretation of thing former days were better than these? for thou sun. 12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. 13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. 15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. 16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? 17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? 18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. 19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. 20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: 22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. 24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? 25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 21counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6¶ Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. 7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit: neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. 9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. 10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. 11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 ¶ Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked: again, there be wicked men, to whom it God's work unsearchable. ECCLESIASTES. Of wisdom, folly, &c. happeneth according to the work of the right- | yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet said that this also is vanity. favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. eous: 15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and that shall abide with him of his labour theas the birds that are caught in the snare; so days of his life, which God giveth him under are the sons of men snared in an evil time, the sun. when it falleth suddenly upon them. 13¶ This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 16 ¶ When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. CHAP. IX. 1 Like things happen to good and bad. 4 There is a necessity of death unto men. 7 Comfort is all their portion in this life. 11 God's providence ruleth over all. 13 Wisdom is better than strength. NOR all this I considered in my heart even 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. For all are all this, that the righteous, but one sinner destroyeth much good. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: and the wise, and their works, are in the hand 2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to CHAP. X. Observations of wisdom and folly. 16 Of riot, the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean; Dapothecary to send forth a stinking sa to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacri- 4¶ For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. 7¶ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 11 ¶I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor vour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. 2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart is at his left. 3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. 4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. 5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: 6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. 7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. 8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. 9 Whoso removethstones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. 10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. 11 Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. 12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every Directions for charity. CHAP. XI, XII. Our Creator to be remembered. and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. 16¶ Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due CHAP. XII. 1 The Creator is to be remembered in due time. 8 The preacher's care to edify. 13 The fear of God is the chief antidote of vanity. EMEMBER now thy Creator in the season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!R days of thy youth, while the evil days 18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 19¶ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. 20 Curse not the king, no, not in thy 3 In the day when the keepers of the house thought; and curse not the rich in thy bed-shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow chamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell reap. 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. 7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: 8 But if a man live many cars, and rejoice in them all; yet let him ie.aember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond-tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge: yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written, was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judg. ment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. SOLOMON. ments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. 4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the King hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. 5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 6 Look not upon me, because I am black 477 Love of Christ and his church. SOLOMON'S SONG. because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. 7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thon makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 8¶If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. 9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. The church's victory. and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, 14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. 15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his : he feedeth among the lilies. 17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee 10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jew-roe or a young hart upon the mountains of away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a els, thy neck with chains of gold. Bether. 11 We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. 12¶ While the King sitteth at his table, my sendeth smell thereof. CHAP. III. 1 The church's fight and victory in temptation. whom pikenard sector is my well-beloved B my soul loveth: I sought him, but I unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. 14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi. 15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes. 16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. 17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. CHAP. II. 1 The mutual love of Christ and his church. 8 4M the rose of Sharon, and the lily of 2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 3 As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. 71 charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. 8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. found him not. me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my 4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. 5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. 6¶ Who is this that cometh out of the wilmyrrh and frankincense, with all powders of derness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with the merchant? 7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon's: threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. every man hath his sword upon his thigh be8 They all hold swords, being expert in war: cause of fear in the night. 9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. 10 He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. behold king Solomon with the crown where11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and his espousals, and in the day of the gladness with his mother crowned him in the day of 9 My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he look-of his heart. eth forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. 10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13 The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, CHAP. IV. 1 Christ setteth forth the graces of the church. 8 He sheweth his love to her. 16 The church prayeth to be made fit for his presence. BEHOLD, thou art fair, my love; beeyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock hold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. 2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the |