1
A
good name is
better than a
good ointment, And the
day of one's
death is better
than the
day of one's
birth.
~w{Yim t,w'M;h ~w{y.w bw{j !,m,Vim ~ev bw{j ? w{d.l\Wih
2
It is
better to
go to a
house of
mourning Than to
go to a
house of
feasting,
Because that is the
end of
every man, And the
living takes it to
heart.
tyeB -l,a t,k,Lim l,bea -tyeB -l,a t,k,l'l bw{j ? y;x;h.w ~'d'a'h -l'K @w{s a.Wh r,v]a;B h,T.vim ? w{Bil -l,a !eTIy
3
Sorrow is
better than laughter, For when a
face is
sad a
heart may be
happy.
b;jyIy ~yin'P ;[{r.b -yiK q{x.Fim s;[;K bw{j ? bel
4
The
mind of the
wise is in the
house of
mourning, While the
mind of
fools is in the
house of
pleasure.
tyeb.B ~yilyis.K bel.w l,bea tyeb.B ~yim'k]x bel ? h'x.mif
5
It is
better to
listen to the
rebuke of a
wise man Than for
one to
listen to the
song of
fools.
ryiv ;[em{v vyiaem ~'k'x t;r][;G ;[{m.vil bw{j ? ~yilyis.K
6
For as the
crackling of
thorn bushes under a
pot,
So is the
laughter of the
fool; And
this too is
futility.
q{x.f !eK ryiS;h t;x;T ~yiryiS;h lw{q.k yiK ? l,b'h h,z -m;g.w lyis.K;h
7
For
oppression makes a
wise man mad, And a
bribe corrupts the
heart.
bel -t,a deB;ayiw ~'k'x lelw{h.y q,v{['h yiK ? h'n'T;m
8
The
end of a
matter is
better than its
beginning;
Patience of
spirit is
better than haughtiness of
spirit.
;x.Wr -.k,r,a bw{j w{tyivaerem r'b'D tyir]x;a bw{j ? ;x.Wr -H;b.Gim
9
Do not be
eager in your
heart to be
angry, For
anger resides in the
bosom of
fools.
qyex.B s;[;k yiK sw{[.kil '$]x.Wr.B leh;b.T -l;a ? ;x.Wn'y ~yilyis.K
10
Do not
say,
"Why is it that the
former days were
better than these?" For it is not from
wisdom that you
ask about this.
~yin{vair'h ~yim'Y;h,v h'y'h h,m r;ma{T -l;a ? 'T.l;a'v h'm.k'xem a{l yiK h,Leaem ~yibw{j .Wy'h ? h,z -l;[
11
Wisdom along with an
inheritance is
good And an
advantage to those who
see the
sun.
v,m'V;h yea{r.l ret{y.w h'l]x;n -mi[ h'm.k'x h'bw{j
12
For
wisdom is
protection just as
money is
protection, But the
advantage of
knowledge is that
wisdom preserves the
lives of its
possessors.
t;[;D !w{r.tIy.w @,s'K;h lec.B h'm.k'x;h lec.B yiK ? 'hy,l'[.b h,Y;x.T h'm.k'x;h
13
Consider the
work of
God, For
who is
able to
straighten what He has
bent?
l;k.Wy yim yiK ~yih{l/a'h hef][;m -t,a hea.r ? w{t..Wi[ r,v]a tea !eQ;t.l
14
In the
day of
prosperity be
happy, But in the
day of
adversity consider -
God has
made the
one as
well as the
other So * that
man will not
discover anything that will be
after him.
hea.r h'['r ~w{y.b.W bw{j.b hey/h h'bw{j ~w{y.B ? t;r.biD -l;[ ~yih{l/a'h h'f'[ h,z -t;MU[.l h,z -t,a ~;G ? h'm.Wa.m wy'r]x;a ~'d'a'h a'c.mIy a{L,v
15
I have
seen everything during my
lifetime of
futility;
there is a
righteous man who
perishes in his
righteousness and
there is a
wicked man who
prolongs his life in his
wickedness.
qyiD;c vey yil.b,h yemyiB yityia'r l{K;h -t,a ? w{t'['r.B .$yir]a;m ['v'r vey.w w{q.dic.B deb{a
16
Do not be
excessively righteous and do not be
overly wise.
Why should you
ruin yourself?
retw{y ~;K;x.tiT -l;a.w heB.r;h qyiD;c yih.T -l;a ? ~emw{ViT h'M'l
17
Do not be
excessively wicked and do not be a
fool.
Why should you
die before your
time?
h'M'l l'k's yih.T -l;a.w heB.r;h [;v.riT -l;a ? '$,Ti[ a{l.B t.Wm't
18
It is
good that you
grasp one thing and
also not
let * go * of the
other; for the one who
fears God comes forth with
both of them.
x;N;T -l;a h,Zim -m;g.w h,z'B z{x/a,T r,v]a bw{j ? ~'LUK -t,a aecey ~yih{l/a aer.y -yiK '$,d'y -t,a
19
Wisdom strengthens a
wise man more than ten rulers who are in a
city.
r,v]a ~yijyiL;v h'r'f][em ~'k'x,l z{['T h'm.k'x;h ? ryi['B .Wy'h
20
Indeed,
there is not a
righteous man on
earth who continually
does good and who
never sins.
bw{J -h,f][;y r,v]a #,r'a'B qyiD;c !yea ~'d'a yiK ? a'j/x,y a{l.w
21
Also, do not
take seriously all words which are
spoken,
so that you will not
hear your
servant cursing you.
!eTiT -l;a .WreB;d.y r,v]a ~yir'b.D;h -l'k.l ~;G ? '$,l.l;q.m '$.D.b;[ -t,a [;m.vit -a{l r,v]a '$,Bil
22
For you
also have
realized that you
likewise have
many times cursed others.
.T;a -m;G r,v]a '$,Bil [;d'y tw{B;r ~yim'[.P -m;G yiK ? ~yirex]a 'T.l;Liq
23
I
tested all this with
wisdom, and I
said, "I will be
wise," but it was
far from me.
h'm'K.x,a yiT.r;m'a h'm.k'x;b yityiSin h{z -l'K ? yiN,Mim h'qw{x.r ayih.w
24
What has
been is
remote and
exceedingly mysterious.
Who can
discover it?
.WN,a'c.mIy yim q{m'[ q{m'[.w h'y'h,V -h;m qw{x'r
25
I
directed my
mind to
know, to
investigate and to
seek wisdom and an
explanation, and to
know the
evil of
folly and the
foolishness of
madness.
veQ;b.W r.Wt'l.w t;[;d'l yiBil.w yin]a yitw{B;s ? t.Wl.kiS;h.w l,s,K [;v,r t;[;d'l.w !w{B.v,x.w h'm.k'x ? tw{lelw{h
26
And I
discovered more bitter than death the
woman whose heart is
snares and
nets, whose
hands are
chains.
One who is
pleasing to
God will
escape from her, but the
sinner will be
captured by her.
ayih -r,v]a h'Via'h -t,a t,w'Mim r;m yin]a a,cw{m.W ? bw{j 'hy,d'y ~yir.Ws]a H'Bil ~yim'r]x;w ~yidw{c.m ? d,k'LIy aejw{x.w h'N,Mim jel'MIy ~yih{l/a'h yen.pil ? H'B
27
"Behold, I have
discovered this,"
says the
Preacher, "adding
one thing to
another to
find an
explanation,
t;x;a.l t;x;a t,l,h{q h'r.m'a yita'c'm h,z hea.r ? !w{B.v,x a{c.mil
28
which I am
still seeking but have not
found. I have
found one man among a
thousand, but I have not
found a
woman among
all these.
~'d'a yita'c'm a{l.w yiv.p;n h'v.qiB -dw{[ r,v]a ? a{l h,Lea -l'k.b h'Via.w yita'c'm @,l,aem d'x,a ? yita'c'm
29
"Behold, I have
found only this, that
God made men upright, but they have
sought out
many devices."
~yih{l/a'h h'f'[ r,v]a yita'c'm h,z -hea.r d;b.l ? ~yiB;r tw{n{b.Vix .Wv.qib h'Meh.w r'v'y ~'d'a'h -t,a