¹ Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: --I have wearied myself for God, I have wearied myself for God, and am consumed.

² For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

³ Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.

⁴ Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What is His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!

⁵ Every saying of God is tried, A shield He is to those trusting in Him.

⁶ Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.

⁷ Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.

⁸ Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,

⁹ Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who is Jehovah?' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.

¹⁰ Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.

¹¹ A generation is , that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.

¹² A generation--pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.

¹³ A generation--how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴ A generation--swords are their teeth, And knives--their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from among men.

¹⁵ To the leech are two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;'

¹⁶ Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth--it is not satisfied with water, And fire--it hath not said, `Sufficiency,'

¹⁷ An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

¹⁸ Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:

¹⁹ The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.

²⁰ So--the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.'

²¹ For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four--it is not able to bear:

²² For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,

²³ For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.

²⁴ Four are little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:

²⁵ The ants are a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,

²⁶ Conies are a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,

²⁷ A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out--each one shouting,

²⁸ A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.

²⁹ Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:

³⁰ An old lion--mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,

³¹ A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king--no rising up with him.

³² If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil--hand to mouth!

³³ For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!