A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

One who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city.

A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.

There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it.

But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion.

Who is a wise person? Who knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, and softens his harsh countenance.

The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.

A wise person’s good sense protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.

Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense, and shows everyone what a fool he is.

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom.

Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes and still live a long time, yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people – for they stand in fear before him.