Are

There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:

She girds herself with strength and shows that her arms are strong.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for they are all clothed in scarlet.

Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the days to come.

These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”

For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.

So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.

There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.

Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.

If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.

And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.

There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.

This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.

…on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,

…when the doors to the street are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint,

The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.

The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.

Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how delightful! The soft grass is our bed.

The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

Catch for us the foxes—the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyards are in bloom.

All are skilled with the sword, experienced in warfare. Each has his sword at his side prepared for the terror of the night.

How beautiful you are, my darling—how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead.

How beautiful you are, my darling—how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead.

Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from the washing; each has its twin, and not one of them is lost.

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.

You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.

Your lips, my bride, drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of Lebanon.

My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.

Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water flowing down from Lebanon.

His eyes are like doves beside the streams of water, bathed in milk and mounted like jewels.

His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.

His cheeks are like beds of spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.

His arms are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is polished ivory bedecked with sapphires.

His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, as majestic as the cedars.

You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.

Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing; each has its twin, and not one of them is lost.

There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,

How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master.

How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a master.

Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.

Your neck is like a tower made of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim; your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, facing toward Damascus.

How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!

Your stature is like a palm tree; your breasts are clusters of fruit.

Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.

Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all.

We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. So I have become in his eyes like one who brings peace.

But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

You who dwell in the gardens, my companions are listening for your voice. Let me hear it!

Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers.

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.

Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water.

For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—

Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living—

For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.

Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged,

They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.