Life’s joys and miseries

¹Hard work was created

for every person,

and a heavy yoke lies upon

human beings,

from the day when they leave

their mother’s womb

²Anxious expectation—the day of death—

fills their inner musings

and plants fear in their hearts.

³From the person who sits

upon a glorious throne

down to the person brought low

in dust and ashes,

⁴from the person who wears purple

and a crown

down to the person dressed

in rough linen—

⁵there exists anger, envy, confusion, unrest, fear of death,

Even when they rest in bed,

nighttime dreams disturb their mind.

⁶They get little or no rest;

they even toil in their dreams,

just as they do in the day,

being troubled by images in their mind,

⁷They wake up at the most

desperate moment

and are astonished

that they were afraid for nothing.

⁸To all flesh, both human and animal,

⁹come death, blood, strife, sword,

¹⁰All these things were created

for the lawless,

and because of such people

the flood happened.

¹¹Everything that’s from earth;

returns to the earth;

everything that’s from water

returns to the sea.

¹²All bribery and injustice

will be wiped out,

but good faith will last forever.

¹³The money of the unjust

will dry up like a river,

and it will crash like loud thunder

in a rainstorm.

¹⁴Generous people will rejoice,

but those who sin will ultimately fail.

¹⁵The offspring of the ungodly

won’t produce many branches,

and they are polluted roots

on sheer rock.

¹⁶A reed by any water or riverbank

will be pulled up before any grass.

¹⁷Kindness is like an orchard of blessings,

and an act of charity will last forever.

¹⁸Life will be sweet for the self-reliant

and the hardworking,

but better than both

is the person who finds a treasure.

¹⁹Children and building a city

establish one’s name,

but better than both

is a wife who is considered blameless.

²⁰Wine and music make the heart glad,

but better than both

is the love of wisdom.

²¹A flute and a harp make sweet melodies,

but better than both is a pleasant voice.

²²The eye will desire grace and beauty,

but better than both

are the first shoots of a crop.

²³A friend and a companion encounter

each other at an opportune moment,

but better than both

is a woman with her husband.

²⁴Relatives and help

in a time of distress are good,

but acts of charity

will rescue one better than both.

²⁵Gold and silver make one stand firm,

but more highly esteemed than both

is good advice.

²⁶Money and strength will lift up

one’s heart,

but fearing the Lord is better than both.

If you fear the Lord,

you’ll lack nothing;

if you have it,

there’s no reason to look for help.

²⁷Fear of the Lord

is like an orchard of blessing,

and it covers a person

more fully than any glory.

²⁸My child, don’t live the life of a beggar;

it’s better to die than to beg.

²⁹When people look

to another person’s table,

their way of life

cannot be considered a life.

³⁰In the mouth of the shameless,

begging is sweet,

but a fire will burn inside of them.