till an arrow pierces his liver – like a bird hurrying into a trap, and he does not know that it will cost him his life.

when he gave the sea his decree that the waters should not pass over his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

A person will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words, and the work of his hands will be rendered to him.

When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for themselves, and fly off into the sky like an eagle!

Likewise, know that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race.

The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother – the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it.

So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.

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

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.

What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.

When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth – even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night –

The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd.

The Speaker: Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, like a fragrant billow of myrrh and frankincense, every kind of fragrant powder of the traveling merchants?

Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep coming up from the washing place; each of them has a twin, and not one of them is missing.

Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, I will go up to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

The Beloved to Her Lover: “I have already taken off my robe – must I put it on again? I have already washed my feet – must I soil them again?”

I arose to open for my beloved; my hands dripped with myrrh – my fingers flowed with myrrh on the handles of the lock.