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²It is in vain that you rise before daylight, that you rise up after you have sat down, you who chew the bread of sorrow. Whereas, to his beloved, he will give sleep.

¹³For this is a gift from God: when each man eats and drinks, and sees the good results of his labor.

¹A Canticle in steps: of Solomon. Unless the Lord has built the house, those who build it have labored in vain. Unless the Lord has guarded the city, he who guards it watches in vain. ²It is in vain that you rise before daylight, that you rise up after you have sat down, you who chew the bread of sorrow. Whereas, to his beloved, he will give sleep.

⁴Again, I was contemplating all the labors of men. And I took notice that their endeavors are open to the envy of their neighbor. And so, in this, too, there is emptiness and superfluous anxiety.

¹²And I realize that there is nothing better than to rejoice, and to do well in this life. ¹³For this is a gift from God: when each man eats and drinks, and sees the good results of his labor.

²³In every work, there shall be abundance. But where there are many words, there is often need.

¹⁸And this is a gift from God: that every man to whom God has given wealth and resources, and to whom he has granted the ability to consume these, may enjoy his portion, and may find joy in his labors.

¹I turned myself to other things, and I saw the false accusations which are carried out under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and that there was no one to console them; and that they were not able to withstand their violence, being destitute of all help. ²And so, I praised the dead more than the living. ³And happier than both of these, I judged him to be, who has not yet been born, and who has not yet seen the evils which are done under the sun. ⁴Again, I was contemplating all the labors of men. And I took notice that their endeavors are open to the envy of their neighbor. And so, in this, too, there is emptiness and superfluous anxiety. ⁵The foolish man folds his hands together, and he consumes his own flesh, saying: ⁶“A handful with rest is better than both hands filled with labors and with affliction of the soul.”

¹⁹And then he will not fully remember the days of his life, because God occupies his heart with delights.

⁴Do not be willing to labor so that you may be enriched. But set limits by your prudence.

¹⁵It is an utterly miserable infirmity that, in the same manner as he has arrived, so shall he return. How then does it benefit him, since he has labored for the wind?

²²The blessing of the Lord causes riches. Affliction will not be a companion to them.

⁹Therefore, it is better for two to be together, than for one to be alone. For they have the advantage of their companionship.

¹When you sit down to eat with a leader, pay close attention to what has been set before your face, ²and put a knife to your throat, if, in such a way, you could hold your soul in your own power. ³Do not desire his foods, in which is the bread of deceit. ⁴Do not be willing to labor so that you may be enriched. But set limits by your prudence. ⁵Do not raise your eyes toward wealth that you are not able to have. For they will make themselves wings, like those of an eagle, and they will fly in the sky. ⁶Do not eat with an envious man, and do not desire his foods.

⁵Do not raise your eyes toward wealth that you are not able to have. For they will make themselves wings, like those of an eagle, and they will fly in the sky.

¹⁷Yet truly, to Adam, he said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, from which I instructed you that you should not eat, cursed is the land that you work. In hardship shall you eat from it, all the days of your life. ¹⁸Thorns and thistles shall it produce for you, and you shall eat the plants of the earth. ¹⁹By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For dust you are, and unto dust you shall return.”

⁶Jesus said to him: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

¹I turned myself to other things, and I saw the false accusations which are carried out under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and that there was no one to console them; and that they were not able to withstand their violence, being destitute of all help. ²And so, I praised the dead more than the living. ³And happier than both of these, I judged him to be, who has not yet been born, and who has not yet seen the evils which are done under the sun. ⁴Again, I was contemplating all the labors of men. And I took notice that their endeavors are open to the envy of their neighbor. And so, in this, too, there is emptiness and superfluous anxiety. ⁵The foolish man folds his hands together, and he consumes his own flesh, saying: ⁶“A handful with rest is better than both hands filled with labors and with affliction of the soul.”