(Who has confronted me that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs to me!)

His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; his tongue injures and destroys.

Your arrows are sharp and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies. Nations fall at your feet.

Your sons will carry on the dynasty of your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land.

He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.

Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)

who loves me and is my stronghold, my refuge and my deliverer, my shield and the one in whom I take shelter, who makes nations submit to me.

I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile – like chasing the wind!

So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

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

Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.

Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

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.

This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:

I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes.

Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride, honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.

The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws, disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty.

You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations.