I. Thus says Solomon, the son of David king and prophet, the most glorious king in the sight of all men, and the wisest prophet of all the church of God: how vain and useless are the works and aspirations of men, [in general] all human things. For no one can say that any benefit is connected with the fact that people who crawl on the earth, both soul and body, hasten to accomplish, completely submitting to the temporal, not even wishing to see with the noble eye of the soul above the stars. And human life is spent day by day, and the rotations of the seasons and years, the certain currents of the sun, when they come and go imperceptibly. It is like the passage of turbulent streams, rushing with great noise into the immeasurable abyss of the sea. And that which came from God for the sake of men remains the same, as, for example, that they are born of the earth, that they go into the earth, that the earth remains the same, that the sun, having gone round all of it, returns again to the same limit, in the same way the winds, and that rivers pour into the sea in such numbers, and the winds that come in do not force it to transgress the measure prescribed to it, And they themselves do not violate the laws. And this is exactly how things are arranged that serve us for this life. But what is invented by people, both in speech and in action, has no measure. And there is a great abundance of words, of course, but there is no use in the misguided chatter. But the nature of men is insatiable, both in speaking and in listening to the words of another, and moreover striving to see with reckless eyes everything that is encountered. What can happen afterwards that would not have been done or done by people? What is new that has never been known from experience, that would be worth remembering? I think that there is nothing about which it is possible to say something fresh, or to find something new by comparison, which is completely unknown to the ancients. But just as the past is covered with oblivion, so the present will be darkened by time for those who will come after. And in preaching this now, I am not acting rashly, no, I, to whom the kingdom of the Jews in Jerusalem has been entrusted, everything is well thought out. And having carefully examined and wisely tested all nature on earth, I came to know that it is very deceitful, because it is given to man to bear a burden on earth, when under this or that pretext of labor he moves in that which has no value. Yet all that is in the valley is filled with a strange and foul spirit, so that it cannot be restored, and it is even impossible to grasp in thought what a great folly has taken possession of human affairs. I once pondered with myself, and thought that I was wiser than all those who were here before me: I knew that I understood both parables and the nature of things. But, I thought, it is in vain to direct [one's thought] to this, and as wisdom is followed by knowledge, so knowledge accompanies suffering.

II. Considering, therefore, that this was the case, I resolved to turn to another kind of life, to give myself up to pleasure, and to experience various pleasures. Now I understand that all such things are vanity. And I restrained the reckless laughter, and compelled pleasure to moderation by strongly reproaching it. Reflecting that the soul is able to restrain the bodily nature, which is intoxicated and spreads like wine, and that abstinence enslaves lust to itself, I decided to comprehend what was once destined for people to do important and truly beautiful things that they must accomplish in this life. For I have experienced all the other things that are considered worthy of wonder, namely, the building of the highest houses and the planting of vineyards, and also the arrangement of gardens, the possession and care of various fruit-bearing trees; there were also huge reservoirs for the reservoir of water intended for abundant irrigation of trees. And I have gained for myself a multitude of household, male and female servants; some he bought from without, others he used as those born to me. I had in my possession herds of four-legged animals, many herds of cattle, and many sheep, more than any of the ancients. Treasures of gold and silver flowed to me, because I forced the kings of all [neighboring nations] to bring me gifts and pay tribute. For my pleasure, numerous choirs of men and women were formed, singing songs in a very harmonious manner. To this kind of pleasure I have added feasts and cupbearers, chosen from among men of both sexes; I could not even count them, for I was so superior to those who reigned before me in Jerusalem. Hence [as a result] it turned out that my wisdom decreased, and my ill-wishing increased. Giving free rein to all the deception of the eyes and the unbridled impulses of the heart, which invade from everywhere, I gave myself up to the hopes of pleasure; and I have bound my will to all miserable pleasures. In this way my thoughts came to such a state of misery that I thought it was beautiful, and that I had to do it. Finally, sobering up and regaining my sight, I realized that what I was doing was pitiful and at the same time very pernicious, the work of an unkind spirit. For nothing decisively, whatever men choose at the present time, seems to me, by sound reasoning, to deserve approval and increased solicitation. Therefore, if I were to compare the good of wisdom with the evils of foolishness, I would justly treat with great reverence the man who [formerly] was foolishly carried away, and then, having mastered himself, returned to the right path. For the distance between prudence and folly is great, and the difference between the two is as great as between day and night. Therefore he who has chosen virtue is like one who looks openly and from above at every thing, and makes his way in the clearest light; Whoever, on the other hand, is steeped in evil and in all kinds of error, is like one who wanders as it were in a moonless night, blind in appearance and deprived of activity by darkness. At last, when I consider the difference between the one and the other of these kinds of life, I have found none, and, as one who has made myself an accomplice of the foolish, I will accept the price of foolishness. For what good is there either in those cunning arguments, or what is the use of many speeches, where streams of chatter rush swiftly out of foolishness, as from a fountain? The wise and the foolish have nothing in common either in memory among people or in the recompense from God. But human affairs, when it seems that they are just beginning, have already come to an end. But the wise never have the same end as the foolish. For this reason I hated my whole life, which I had spent in vain deeds, which I had spent strongly attaching myself to earthly labors. For, to put it briefly, I have achieved everything with great difficulty, being the work of an unreasonable striving; and someone else, whether wise or foolish, will inherit the vain fruits of my labors. When I realized this and rejected it, the truly good thing destined for man became clear to me, namely, the knowledge of wisdom and the acquisition of courage. But if one did not care about this, and was carried away by the desire of another, he preferred evil to good, strove for depravity instead of honesty, and for hard work instead of rest, drawn hither and thither by various anxieties, always tormented night and day by the urgent labors of the body, as well as by the incessant cares of the soul, because his heart trembles because of senseless deeds. For the perfect good does not consist in food and drink, although food comes first of all from God, for nothing that is given for our well-being exists without His providence. But the good man, who received wisdom from God, attained heavenly joy. On the contrary, the evil one, struck down by the calamities sent down by God, sick with covetousness, strives to gather much, and hastens before the Lord of all to mock him whom God has honored, offering [him] impious gifts, thus fulfilling the insidious and at the same time vain aspirations of his unfortunate soul.

The present time is full of all kinds of opposites - birth, then death, planting, then extermination, healing and killing, building and destruction, weeping and laughter, weeping and rejoicing. Now you gather fruit from the earth, but now you throw it away; And now you madly strive for a woman, then you feel disgust for her. I have just found something, and now I have lost it; he just kept it and immediately threw it away; now he killed, then he himself was killed; He spoke, then fell silent, loved, then hated. For human affairs now struggle with each other, now reconcile, and are distinguished by such inconstancy that what seemed good soon changes into that which is recognized by all as evil. Therefore, let us cease our vain labors. For all this, it seems to me, is intended to drive people into a frenzy with poisoned whips. But a certain evil one, seizing a convenient time, opened his mouth for the present age, using extraordinary efforts to destroy God's creation, deciding from the beginning to the end to be at enmity with it. Thus I am convinced that rejoicing and doing good is the greatest good for man, and that, of course, even this temporary pleasure comes only from God, if things are governed by justice. From the eternal and incorruptible works, which God has firmly determined, it is impossible either to take away anything or to add anything. For this reason, for everyone, whoever he may be, they are terrible and at the same time worthy of wonder. And that which has already been remains, and that which is to be has already been by foreknowledge. And he who is unjustly offended has a helper in God. Further, I saw in hell the abyss of torment awaiting the wicked; but another place is left for the pious. I also thought within myself that with God everything is the same - to be honored and judged, that the righteous and the unrighteous, rational creatures and the irrational are one and the same. For time is measured to all alike, and death threatens them, God has one and the same thing - cattle and men; they differ from each other only in the articulation of their speech, but everything is the same with them, and death does not come to the rest of the animals any more than to men. For all have the same spirit, and there is nothing else in men, but all, in a word, vanity, receives its composition from one and the same earth, and will be resolved into the same land. For it is not known with regard to human souls whether they ascend upward, and with regard to the rest of the souls which the irrational [animals] have received, whether they will be scattered below. And it seems to me that there is no other good than to enjoy and use the present. For, as I thought, it is impossible to return to the use of these things, when a man has once tasted death.

IV. Turning from all these thoughts, I have judged and turned away from all calumnies which wander among men, whereby those who are unjustly oppressed shed tears and groan, forcibly rejected, when they are seized on all sides by the utter want of helping, or consoling at all. Rapists, on the other hand, rise to a height from which they fall. Of the unrighteous and insolent, the dead were in a better condition than those living to this day. Preferable to these two is one who will be like them, but has not yet come into being, because he has not yet touched human deceit. It also became clear to me that what envy on the part of one's neighbors follows a husband is the sting of an evil spirit; and that he who has taken it into himself and is clothed with it as a shell, knows nothing else but to devour his soul and to saw and spend it together with the body, considering for himself the well-being of others to be an inconsolable sorrow. But a prudent man would rather fill one hand with rest and peace than with both hands with the labor and cunning of a cunning spirit. And there is something else, which, as I know, happens to a husband, contrary to what it ought to be, as a result of an evil will. He is alone in all respects and has neither brother nor son, but abounds in many treasures, is completely devoted to insatiable desire and does not want to give himself up to bliss in any way. Therefore I would gladly ask him why such a man exhausts himself with work, runs away from doing anything good without looking back, and is extremely busy with various desires for some kind of acquisition. Far better are those who have entered into the communion of common life, from which they can receive the best fruits. For when two men are honestly engaged in the same business, even if something happens to one of them, yet he has no small support in the person of his accomplice. Woe to the man who fails and has no one to lift him up. On the contrary, those who live together have doubled their success and eased the storm of unpleasant circumstances; so that by day they shine with mutual trust, and by night they are magnified with joy. And he who drags out a life without contact with people, leads a life that is terrible for himself, not understanding that even if someone were to attack people who have rallied together, he is plotting boldly and unsafely, and that a rope woven three times usually does not easily break. But I prefer a poor but prudent youth to an old but foolish king, who does not care about the thought that it is possible that someone in prison will be made king, and that he himself may then justly be deprived of unrighteous dominion. For it happens that those who are under the rule of the young but sensible are without sorrow, namely all the elders in age. For those who are born later, because they do not know another by experience, cannot praise this either, and are guided by rash decisions and motives of a hostile spirit. In preaching, bear in mind the right to live your own life, and to pray for the foolish, that they may come to understand and avoid doing evil.

V. It is beautiful to be temperate in the tongue and to have a balanced heart in zeal for speech. For one should not use speeches thoughtlessly, [not being embarrassed by them] if they are [even] absurd, or to pronounce with a voice what comes to mind, but to think that, although we are far from heaven, it is nevertheless necessary to know that God hears our words, and that it is useful to speak rashly. Just as all kinds of dreams follow the various concerns of the soul, so idle chatter is associated with recklessness. Further, let the vow made in prayer be fulfilled in practice. It is in the nature of madmen to be rejected; but be truthful, knowing how much better it is for you not to promise and not to undertake to do something, than to leave it unfulfilled after you have made a vow. One must in every way avoid a flood of shameful words, in the conviction that God will hear them. For he who thinks thus, there is nothing left but to feel that his works are being destroyed by God. For just as dreams, if they are many, are empty, so are many speeches. The fear of God is salvific for people, but it is rarely revealed. Therefore, it should not be surprising to see that the poor are slandered, that judges make wrong decisions. Further, one must turn away from appearing greater than those who have greater power. For even if this were to happen, even wickedness itself would not save you from the dangers that were to come. But just as property obtained by robbery is very pernicious and criminal, so in a man who is greedy for money, there is no satiation and no benevolence towards his neighbors, even if he has acquired an exceedingly large amount of silver. For this is vanity. Goodness greatly rejoices those who have entered into union with it, makes them courageous, giving them the ability to understand every thing. But it is important not to cling to this kind of worries. A poor man, even though he be a slave, and does not overflow his belly, nevertheless enjoys a pleasant rest in sleep. A strong desire for wealth is combined with insomnia and anguish of the soul. What can be more senseless than accumulating wealth with great care and care, and preserving it, thereby preserving for oneself a pretext for a thousand evils? And this wealth is destined to perish and be destroyed one day, whether he who acquires it has children or not; but [the rich man] himself, even if he did not want to, must descend into the earth and die as he once came into being. In this way, having to depart empty-handed, he will increase his wickedness, as if he did not think that he was facing an end like birth, and that he labored in vain, more for a gust of wind than for the satisfaction of his own diligence, spending his whole life in the most impious desires and in unreasonable aspirations, moreover, in sorrows and sicknesses. And, in short, for such a person, days are darkness, and life is sorrow. But this is what good should not be rejected: God's gift is that a person can joyfully enjoy his labors, having accepted God-given, and not stolen, treasures. For it is precisely with sorrows that he is not sick and does not enslave himself as much as possible to evil thoughts, but measures his life by good deeds, being well disposed towards all, and rejoices in the gift of God.

VI. By my speech I approach the misfortune that has the greatest power over man.

This I consider to be an important proof and an obvious exposure of excessive depravity. In fact, to that man who is irreproachably called the father of very many children and lived for a long time, but during such a time did not saturate the soul with his goodness without experiencing death - this man I would not envy either in many children or in longevity, and I prefer to him the embryo that prematurely came out of the mother's womb. For this one, as he came in vain, so he goes away unnoticed in oblivion, not touching evil, not even seeing the sun. This is calmer than for the evil one, even though he has measured his life for thousands of years, but has not known goodness. The end for both is death. However, the foolish one is exposed especially because he does not receive satisfaction for any desire. The wise man is not subject to these sufferings. For the most part, however, it happens that the righteousness of life leads a person to poverty. Many are deprived of reason by objects that attract the attention of lustful eyes, which excite the soul and, through an empty desire to see, lead to useless occupation. But at any rate, what has now happened is already known, and it is clear that man is not able to resist that which is above him. However, empty words turn against people, increasing the madness of those who use them.

VII. Though he who knows what will happen to him in life of what is after his heart is in no more profit, for let us suppose it, yet the excessive curiosity of men makes it seem that they are investigating, and as it seems to them, knowing what will happen after the death of each one. But a good memory is more pleasant to the soul than oil is to the body, and the end of life is better than birth; and it is preferable to weep than to feast, and to be with those who mourn than with those who are drunk. For it is the case that he who has reached the end of this life no longer cares about what is around him. [In the same way] rational anger is preferable to laughter, for the soul is also put in order by a stern countenance. Therefore the souls of the wise [usually] grieve and humble themselves; but the souls of the foolish rejoice haughtily. And it is far more desirable to be rebuked by one wise man than to listen to the songs of praise of a whole crowd of bad and pitiful people. For the laughter of foolish men is like the crackling of a great quantity of thorns that is burned by a great fire. But also a particularly grave and greatest evil is slander, for it plots against the souls of the wise and seeks to destroy the noble firmness of the good. And it is not the one who begins the speech that should be praised, but the one who finishes, and modesty of disposition should be approved, and not arrogance and pride. By all means, however, one must refrain from rage and not hastily fall into anger, to which the foolish are enslaved. They sin when they say that the ancestors were given a better life, and do not understand that wisdom is very different from the abundance of possessions, and so much more glorious as the silver is lighter than its shadow. For the life of man is not the result of the perishable acquisition of wealth, but of wisdom.

But he who is truly righteous does not need to show himself too much as such, and to be wise too much, lest, having stumbled in something, he sin much more. And do not be unreasonable and impudent, lest you be snatched away by an untimely death. The greatest good is to hold fast to God and, abiding in Him, not to sin in anything. For it is abominable to touch the pure with a defiled hand. Whoever obeys with the fear of God avoids all the opposite. Wisdom can be of more help than the multitude of the mightiest men in the city; it often justly and forgives those who shirk their duties. For there is not one who does not stumble. And the words of the wicked should not be heeded in any way, lest thou hearest with thy own ears the speeches against thee, such as the idle talk of the wicked servant, and lest, then, being wounded in the heart, thou shalt afterwards incline to repay him with many actions. I have come to know all these things by receiving wisdom from God; But when I lost her later, I could no longer be like myself. For wisdom has fled from me to an infinite distance and to an immeasurable depth, so that it is no longer possible for me to master it. So that afterwards I even completely ceased to seek it, and no longer thought of understanding the foolish deeds, the vain counsels, and the troubled life of the wicked. But being so disposed, I differed [from others] in this, and possessed by deadly lust, I knew that a woman is a kind of snare, or something of the sort. For her heart catches those who pass by her, and if she only touches her hand with her hand, it holds her as if she were drawing her, enclosing her in chains. Only in this case can you be freed from it, if you have won God's mercy for yourself, and He watches over you, because whoever is enslaved to sin will not escape from it. I sought among all women their modesty, and found none of them. A well-behaved man can be found out of a thousand, but women cannot. Most of all, I understood that people were created by God to be right in their souls, but they themselves were carried away by various thoughts and endless searches, claiming to seek wisdom and spending their time in the occupation of insignificant speeches.

VIII. But wisdom, when it is found in a man, is visible even in the face, because it illuminates him who has acquired it; on the contrary, shamelessness exposes the one in whom it has taken possession as worthy of hatred at first sight. One must heed the king's words with all diligence and avoid oaths in every way, especially oaths in the name of God. However, it is necessary [in general] to resist evil speech, but [especially] to beware of any backbiting against the Lord. For in fact it is impossible to blaspheme Him, even if He brings something upon you, nor to contradict the definitions of one Ruler and King. It is better and more useful, abiding in the sacred commandments, to remain away from evil speeches. For a wise man knows and foresees that the judgment that will be in due time will be righteous. For all human deeds in this life await punishment from above. Only the evil one, it seems, does not know at all that, since there is now much care for him, then nothing will be completely forgotten later.

And I am amazed every time I look at what kind and how much people have diligently devised to the destruction of their neighbors. I know that the wicked are first snatched out of this life and put away because they have given themselves over to vanity. But since the providence of God does not immediately follow everyone because of much long-suffering, and is not punished immediately after a crime, for this reason the evil man thinks that it is possible to continue sinning, as if he could escape unpunished; he does not understand that even after a very long period of time he who has done unrighteousness will not be hidden. The greatest good is the reverent fear of God, having lost which the wicked will not spend much time using his folly. Often the worst and most false opinion of both the righteous and the unrighteous is spread among men. For the opposite is thought of both: and he who is righteous does not appear to be so, but on the contrary, the wicked is considered reasonable. It is precisely this grave error that I consider the greatest of all. It once seemed to me that the greatest of good things was food and drink, and that he was most pleasing to God who enjoyed them as much as possible during his life, and this kind of joy I considered the only consolation of life. And therefore I occupied myself with nothing else but this thought, so that neither by night nor by day was I distracted from all that was invented for the enjoyment of men. And all I have learned is that whoever has been defiled by this, even if he has worked hard, will never be able to obtain the real good.

IX. For I thought then that all men were to be considered worthy of the same thing; and if any man be wise, and diligently practise the works of righteousness, and turn away from iniquity, and be prudent, and avoid enmity to all, which is pleasing to God, it seemed to me that he laboured in vain. It seemed to me that there was one end of the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the pure and the unclean, and the propitiatory sacrifice to God and the one who did not offer at all. For when the unrighteous and the good, when the one who swears and the one who completely turns away from the oath, as I supposed, rush to the same end, then some evil thought creeps in, that all end life in the same way. But now I know that these are the thoughts of the foolish, both error and deceit. It is also often said that the dead perish completely, and that the living should be preferred to the dead, even though he be in darkness, and that even if he lives like a dog, [he should be preferred] to the dead lion. For the living at least know that they will die, but the dead know absolutely nothing. And there is no recompense before them, after they have fulfilled the appointed fate. Both enmity and friendship towards the dead ended; for with them the competition has ceased, and life has disappeared. The one who has once left this life has no participation in anything.

But do what you have to. For no one will demand from [the omission of two lines in the book - A.L.] he was, into which, as they say, we depart, he has no part in wisdom and the ability to feel. Thus [speak] the vain [people].