When it giveth its colour in the cup,
When it goeth down smoothly.

At the last it biteth like a serpent,

And stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange things,
And thy lips shall utter perverse words.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise,
And guide thine heart in the way.
Be not amongst winebibbers;

Amongst gluttonous eaters of flesh:

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty,

And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

It is not for young men to drink wine;
Nor for old men to desire strong drink:
Lest they drink, and forget the law,

And pervert the cause of the afflicted.

For wine is a mocker; strong drink, a brawler: And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

PROVERBS XXXI

How beyond all price is the virtuous woman!
Yea, her value is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband trusteth in her,
And he shall have no need of spoil.

She doeth him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

She seeketh wool and flax,

And worketh willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchant-ships;

She bringeth her bread from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night,

And giveth food to her household,
And their task to her maidens.

She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it;

With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth herself with strength,

And maketh strong her arms.

She layeth her hands to the distaff,
And her hands hold the spindle.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household;
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
As for her, strength and dignity are her cloth-
ing;

And she laugheth at the time to come.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor;
Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And the law of kindness is on her tongue.
Her children rise up, and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying:
Many daughters have done worthily,

But thou excellest them all.

Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain;

But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall

be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands;

And let her works praise her in the gates.

ECCLESIASTES

ECCLESIASTES

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do all the days of their life.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and parks, and I planted therein all manner of fruittrees; I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared: I bought menservants and maidservants, and had servants born in my house. Also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and kingdoms; I gat me mensingers and womensingers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments of all sorts. So was I great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do and behold, all was vanity and a

striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun. And I hated all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun, sceing that I must leave it unto the man that shall come after me. And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewn myself wise under the sun. Therefore did my heart despair concerning all the labour wherein I had laboured.

For there

is a man whose labour is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity! For as he came into the world naked, so shall he go again even as he came, and shall take nothing from his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

So I returned, and saw under the sun, that there is nothing better for the sons of men than to rejoice in their labour, and to do good so long as they live. This is the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

ECCLESIASTES II, VII, IX, X

I have seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me: There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there

was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

There is also an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from them that rule: Folly is set in great dignity, and men of understanding made to sit in low place. Yea, I have seen fools riding upon horses, and wise men walking behind them as servants!

All this therefore have I laid to mine heart, and searched it out: That the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill. Nevertheless though the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not honoured, yet wisdom is better than strength. The words of the wise, though they be spoken in quiet, are heard more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is a strength to the wise more than ten rulers which are in a city. Yea, wisdom is better than weapons of war: for wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that if a man have wisdom, it shall preserve his life.

ECCLESIASTES

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, and it weigheth heavily upon me: There is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing. Yea, there be righteous men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; also there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous.