Chapter 4

1So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

2Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.

3Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

4Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

5The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

6Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

7Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.

8There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

11Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

12And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

13Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

14For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.

15I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.

16There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Chapter 5

1Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.

4When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

8If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

9Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

10He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

11When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

12The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

14But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

15As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

17All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

19Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

20For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

Chapter 6

1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

2A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

3If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

4For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

5Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

6Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

7All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

8For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

10That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.

11Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

12For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

Chapter 6

1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

3Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

4But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

5In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

6By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

8By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

11O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

12Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

13Now for a recompence in the same,(I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Chapter 7

1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

3I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.

4Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

5For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

6Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

7And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

8For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

9Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

11For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

12Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

13Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

14For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

15And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

16I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

Chapter 47

1To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

2For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

3He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

4He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

5God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

7For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

8God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

9The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Chapter 22

1A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

2The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

3A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

4By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

5Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

7The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

8He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

9He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

10Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

11He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

12The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

13The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

14The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

15Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

17Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

18For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

19That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

20Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

21That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

22Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

23For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.

24Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

25Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

26Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.

27If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

28Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.