Human Wretchedness

1Hard work was created for everyone,

and a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam,

from the day they come forth from their mother's womb

until the day they return to40.1 Other Gk and Lat authorities read are buried in the mother of all the living.40.1 Heb: Gk of all

2Perplexities and fear of heart are theirs,

and anxious thought of the day of their death.

3From the one who sits on a splendid throne

to the one who grovels in dust and ashes,

4from the one who wears purple and a crown

to the one who is clothed in sackcloth,

5there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest,

and fear of death, and fury and strife.

And when one rests upon his bed,

his sleep at night confuses his mind.

6He gets little or no rest;

he struggles in his sleep as he did by day.40.6 Arm: Meaning of Gk uncertain

He is troubled by the visions of his mind

like one who has escaped from the battlefield.

7At the moment he reaches safety he wakes up,

astonished that his fears were groundless.

8To all creatures, human and animal,

but to sinners seven times more,

9come death and bloodshed and strife and sword,

calamities and famine and ruin and plague.

10All these were created for the wicked,

and on their account the flood came.

11All that is of earth returns to earth,

and what is from above returns above.40.11 Heb Syr: Gk Lat from the waters returns to the sea

Injustice Will Not Prosper

12All bribery and injustice will be blotted out,

but good faith will last for ever.

13The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a river,

and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a storm.

14As a generous person has cause to rejoice,

so lawbreakers will utterly fail.

15The children of the ungodly put out few branches;

they are unhealthy roots on sheer rock.

16The reeds by any water or river bank

are plucked up before any grass;

17but kindness is like a garden of blessings,

and almsgiving endures for ever.

The Joys of Life

18Wealth and wages make life sweet,40.18 Heb: Gk Life is sweet for the self-reliant worker

but better than either is finding a treasure.

19Children and the building of a city establish one's name,

but better than either is one who finds wisdom.

Cattle and orchards make one prosperous;40.19 Heb Syr: Gk lacks but better…prosperous

but a blameless wife is accounted better than either.

20Wine and music gladden the heart,

but the love of friends40.20 Heb: Gk wisdom is better than either.

21The flute and the harp make sweet melody,

but a pleasant voice is better than either.

22The eye desires grace and beauty,

but the green shoots of grain more than either.

23A friend or companion is always welcome,

but a sensible wife40.23 Heb Compare Syr: Gk wife with her husband is better than either.

24Kindred and helpers are for a time of trouble,

but almsgiving rescues better than either.

25Gold and silver make one stand firm,

but good counsel is esteemed more than either.

26Riches and strength build up confidence,

but the fear of the Lord is better than either.

There is no want in the fear of the Lord,

and with it there is no need to seek for help.

27The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing,

and covers a person better than any glory.

The Disgrace of Begging

28My child, do not lead the life of a beggar;

it is better to die than to beg.

29When one looks to the table of another,

one's way of life cannot be considered a life.

One loses self-respect with another person's food,

but one who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that.

30In the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet,

but it kindles a fire inside him.