The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

I said of partying, “It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure, “It accomplishes nothing!”

I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

I constructed pools of water for myself, to irrigate my grove of flourishing trees.

For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.

Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.

The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools.

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

A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body.

I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by the fields.

For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

The sleep of the laborer is pleasant – whether he eats little or much – but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.

It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.

“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher, “All of these things are futile!”