القراءة بلغتين

الصِّيتُ خَيرٌ مِنَ الطِّيب ويَومُ المَوتِ خَيرٌ مِن يَومِ الوِلادَة

الذَّهابُ إِلى بَيتِ النِّياحَة خَيرٌ مِنَ الذَّهابِ إِلى بَيتِ الوَليمة لِأَنَّ ذاكَ نِهايَةُ جَميعِ البَشَر والحَيُّ يُوَجِّهُ قَلبَه إِلَيه

الغَمُّ خَيرٌ مِنَ الضَّحِك لِأَنَّه بِعُبوسِ الوَجهِ يُصلَحُ القَلْب

قَلبُ الحُكَماءِ في بَيتِ النِّياحَة وقَلبُ الجُهَّالِ في بَيتِ الفَرَح

سَماعُ التَّوبيخِ مِنَ الحَكيم خَيرٌ مِن سَماعِ تَرْنيمِ الجُهَّال

لِأَنَّه كَصَوتِ الشَّوكِ تَحتَ القِدْرِ كذٰلك ضَحِكُ الجاهِل. هٰذا أَيضًا باطِل

الظُّلمُ يُحَمِّقُ الحَكيم والعَطِيَّةُ تُهلِكُ القَلْب

آخِرُ الأَمرِ خَيرٌ مِن أَوَّلِه وطولُ الأَناةِ خَيرٌ مِن تَشامُخِ الرُّوح

لا تَعْجَلْ إِلى الغَضَبِ في قَلبِكَ لِأَنَّ الغَضبَ يَستَقِرُّ في صُدورِ الجُهَّال

لا تَقُلْ: لِمَ ٱتَّفَقَ أَنْ كانَتِ الأَيَّامُ الأُولى خَيرًا مِن هٰذا؟» فإِنَّه لَيسَ عن حِكمَةٍ سُؤالُكَ هٰذا

الحِكمَةُ حَسَنَةٌ كالميراث وتَنفَعُ لِناظري الشَّمْس

لِأَنَّ ظِلَّ الحِكمَةِ كظِلِّ الفِضَّة وفائِدَةَ المَعرِفَةِ أَنَّ الحِكمَةَ تُحْيي أَصْحابَها

أُنظُرْ إِلى عَمَلِ الله: مَنِ الَّذي يَستَطيعُ أَن يُقَوِّمَ ما قد لَوى؟

في يَومِ السَّرَّاءِ كُن مَسْرورًا وفي يَومِ الضَّرَّاءِ تأَمَّلْ: إِنَّ اللهَ صَنَعَ هٰذه وتِلكَ لِئَلَّا يَطَّلِعَ الإِنسانُ على شَيءٍ مِمَّا يَكونُ فيما بَعدُ

وهٰذا كُلُّه رَأَيتُه في أَيَّامِ أَباطيلي: بارٌّ يَهلِكُ في بِرِّه وشِرِّيرٌ تَطولُ أَيَّامُه في شَرِّه

لا تَكُنْ بارًّا بإِفْراط ولا تَكُنْ حكيمًا فَوقَ ما يَنبغي فلِماذا تُهلِكُ نَفْسَكَ؟

لا تَكُنْ شِرِّيرًا بإِفْراط ولا تَكُنْ جاهِلًا، لِئَلَّا تَموتَ قَبلَ ساعَتِكَ

يَحسُنُ أَن تُمسِكَ بِهٰذا دونَ أَن تَكُفَّ يَدَكَ عن ذاك فإِنَّ مَن يَخْشى اللهَ يَجِدُ كِلَيهما

الحِكمَةُ تُؤَيِّدُ الحَكيمَ أَكثَرَ مِن عَشَرَةِ ذَوي سُلْطانٍ في المَدينة

ما مِن بارٍّ على الأَرضِ يَصنَعُ الخَيرَ مِن دونِ أَن يَخطأَ

لا تُوَجِّه قَلبَكَ إِلى كُلِّ كَلامٍ يُقال لِئَلَّا تَسمَعَ عَبدَكَ يَلعَنُكَ

فإِنَّ قَلبَكَ عالِمٌ بِأَنَّكَ أَنتَ أَيضًا كَثيرًا ما لَعَنتَ غَيرَكَ

كُلُّ ذٰلك ٱختَبَرتُه بِالحِكمة. قُلتُ: «أَصيرُ حَكيمًا»، فتَباعَدَتِ الحِكمَةُ عنِّي

بَعيدٌ ما في الوُجود وعَميقٌ عَميق فمَن يَجِدُه؟

فجُلتُ بِقَلْبي لِأَعلَمَ وأَبحَث وأَلتَمِسَ الحِكمَةَ وحَقيقَةَ الأُمور لِأَعلَمَ أَنَّ الشَّرَّ جَهلٌ والجُنونَ غَباوة

فوَجَدتُ أَنَّ ما هو أَمَرُّ مِنَ المَوت هي المَرأَةُ لِأَنَّها فَخّ ولِأَنَّ قَلبَها شَبَكَةٌ ويَداها قُيود. مَن كانَ صالِحًا أَمامَ اللهِ يَنْجو مِنها وأَمَّا الخاطِئُ فيَعلَقُ بِها

يَقولُ الجامِعة: أُنظُرْ! هٰذا ما وَجَدتُه بِتَأَمُّلي الأُمورَ واحِدًا واحِدًا لِكَي أَجِدَ حَقيقَتَها

الَّتي لم تَزَلْ نَفْسي تَطلُبُها ولم أَجِدْها: إِنِّي وَجَدتُ رَجُلًا واحِدًا بَينَ أَلْفٍ وٱمرَأَةً واحِدَةً بَينَ أُولٰئِكَ كُلِّهِنَّ لم أَجِدْ

إِنَّما وَجَدتُ هٰذا أَنَّ اللهَ صَنَعَ البَشَرَ مُستَقيمين أَمَّا هم فبَحَثوا عن أَسْبابٍ كَثيرة

A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.

Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.

Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.

All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.

That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation

which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.

Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”