Surely oppression ¹  can turn a wise person into a fool; ²  likewise, ³  a bribe corrupts ⁴  the heart. ⁵ 

Wisdom gives a wise person more protection ¹  than ten rulers in a city.

So do not be excessively righteous or excessively ¹  wise; ²  otherwise ³  you might ⁴  be disappointed. ⁵ 

For the wise man, like ¹  the fool, will not be remembered for very long, ²  because ³  in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. ⁴  Alas, ⁵  the wise man dies – just like ⁶  the fool!

Whoever obeys his ¹  command will not experience harm, and a wise person ²  knows the proper time ³  and procedure.

The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard ¹  among fools.

A wise person’s good sense protects him, ¹  but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable. ² 

The words of a wise person ¹  win him ²  favor, ³  but the words ⁴  of a fool are self-destructive. ⁵ 

A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking. ¹ 

It is better for a person to receive ¹  a rebuke from those who are wise ²  than to listen to the song ³  of fools.

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? ¹  And what advantage ²  does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive? ³ 

Not only was the Teacher wise, ¹  but he also taught knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated ²  and arranged ³  many proverbs.

The wise man can see where he is going, ¹  but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate ²  happens to them both. ³ 

Who is ¹  a ²  wise person? Who knows the solution ³  to a problem? ⁴  A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, ⁵  and softens ⁶  his harsh countenance. ⁷ 

However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, ¹  and he could have delivered ²  the city by his wisdom, but no one listened ³  to that poor man.

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” ¹  for it is not wise to ask that. ² 

Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet ¹  he will be master over all the fruit of ²  my labor ³  for which I worked so wisely ⁴  on earth! ⁵  This also is futile!

So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ¹  Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ²  wise?” ³  So I lamented to myself, ⁴  “The benefits of wisdom ⁵  are ultimately ⁶  meaningless!”

So I reflected on all this, ¹  attempting to clear ²  it all up. I concluded that ³  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated ⁴  – no one knows what lies ahead. ⁵