For you know in your own heart ¹  that you also have cursed others many times.

Also, do not pay attention to everything that people ¹  say; otherwise, ²  you might even hear ³  your servant cursing you.

It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it. ¹ 

When you make a vow ¹  to God, do not delay in paying it. ²  For God ³  takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow!

Send ¹  your grain ²  overseas, ³  for after many days you will get a return. ⁴ 

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

Just as you do not know the path ¹  of the wind, or how the bones form ²  in the womb of a pregnant woman, ³  so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

Divide your merchandise ¹  among seven or even eight ²  investments, ³  for you do not know ⁴  what calamity ⁵  may happen on earth.

Surely the king’s authority ¹  is absolute; ²  no one can say ³  to him, “What are you doing?”

Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise ¹  you might die before your time.

Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, ¹  and your princes feast in the morning!

¹ Be careful what you do ²  when you go to the temple ³  of God; draw near to listen ⁴  rather than to offer a sacrifice ⁵  like fools, ⁶  for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.

Whatever you find to do with your hands, ¹  do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, ²  the place where you will eventually go. ³ 

Obey the king’s command, ¹  because you took ²  an oath before God ³  to be loyal to him. ⁴ 

Do not let your mouth cause you ¹  to sin, and do not tell the priest, ²  “It was a mistake!” ³  Why make God angry at you ⁴  so that he would destroy the work of your hands?”

If the anger ¹  of the ruler flares up ²  against you, do not resign ³  from your position, ⁴  for a calm ⁵  response ⁶  can undo ⁷  great offenses.

Enjoy ¹  life with your beloved wife ²  during all the days of your fleeting ³  life that God ⁴  has given you on earth ⁵  during all your fleeting days; ⁶  for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work ⁷  on earth. ⁸ 

Rejoice, young man, while you are young, ¹  and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses ²  of your heart and the desires ³  of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions. ⁴ 

So remember ¹  your Creator in the days of your youth – before ²  the difficult ³  days come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, ¹  and your princes feast at the proper time ²  – with self-control and not in drunkenness. ³