The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.

If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.

And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.

Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.

Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it.

Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.

If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.

Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.

As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, How — bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.

In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike [are] good.

Sweet also [is] the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.

But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming [is] vanity.

Rejoice, O young man, in thy childhood, And let thy heart gladden thee in days of thy youth, And walk in the ways of thy heart, And in the sight of thine eyes, And know thou that for all these, Doth God bring thee into judgment.

And turn aside anger from thy heart, And cause evil to pass from thy flesh, For the childhood and the age [are] vanity!

Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, 'I have no pleasure in them.'

While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,

And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.

And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out — he made right many similes.

The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written [by] the upright, words of truth.

Words of the wise [are] as goads, and as fences planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the whole matter let us hear: — 'Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.

For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'

The Song of Songs, that [is] Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better [are] thy loves than wine.

For fragrance [are] thy perfumes good. Perfume emptied out — thy name, Therefore have virgins loved thee!

Draw me: after thee we run, The king hath brought me into his inner chambers, We do joy and rejoice in thee, We mention thy loves more than wine, Uprightly they have loved thee!

Dark [am] I, and comely, daughters of Jerusalem, As tents of Kedar, as curtains of Solomon.

Fear me not, because I [am] very dark, Because the sun hath scorched me, The sons of my mother were angry with me, They made me keeper of the vineyards, My vineyard — my own — I have not kept.

Declare to me, thou whom my soul hath loved, Where thou delightest, Where thou liest down at noon, For why am I as one veiled, By the ranks of thy companions?

If thou knowest not, O fair among women, Get thee forth by the traces of the flock, And feed thy kids by the shepherds' dwellings!

To my joyous one in chariots of Pharaoh, I have compared thee, my friend,

Comely have been thy cheeks with garlands, Thy neck with chains.

Garlands of gold we do make for thee, With studs of silver!

While the king [is] in his circle, My spikenard hath given its fragrance.

A bundle of myrrh [is] my beloved to me, Between my breasts it lodgeth.

A cluster of cypress [is] my beloved to me, In the vineyards of En-Gedi!

Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, Lo, thou [art] fair, thine eyes [are] doves!

Lo, thou [art] fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch [is] green,

The beams of our houses [are] cedars, Our rafters [are] firs, I [am] a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!

As a lily among the thorns,

So [is] my friend among the daughters!

As a citron among trees of the forest, So [is] my beloved among the sons, In his shade I delighted, and sat down, And his fruit [is] sweet to my palate.

He hath brought me in unto a house of wine, And his banner over me [is] love,

Sustain me with grape-cakes, Support me with citrons, for I [am] sick with love.

His left hand [is] under my head, And his right doth embrace me.

I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please!

The voice of my beloved! lo, this — he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills.

My beloved [is] like to a roe, Or to a young one of the harts. Lo, this — he is standing behind our wall, Looking from the windows, Blooming from the lattice.

My beloved hath answered and said to me, 'Rise up, my friend, my fair one, and come away,

For lo, the winter hath passed by, The rain hath passed away — it hath gone.

The flowers have appeared in the earth, The time of the singing hath come, And the voice of the turtle was heard in our land,

The fig-tree hath ripened her green figs, And the sweet-smelling vines have given forth fragrance, Rise, come, my friend, my fair one, yea, come away.

My dove, in clefts of the rock, In a secret place of the ascent, Cause me to see thine appearance, Cause me to hear thy voice, For thy voice [is] sweet, and thy appearance comely.

Seize ye for us foxes, Little foxes — destroyers of vineyards, Even our sweet-smelling vineyards.

My beloved [is] mine, and I [am] his, Who is delighting among the lilies,

Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, Turn, be like, my beloved, To a roe, or to a young one of the harts, On the mountains of separation!

On my couch by night, I sought him whom my soul hath loved; I sought him, and I found him not!

— Pray, let me rise, and go round the city, In the streets and in the broad places, I seek him whom my soul hath loved! — I sought him, and I found him not.

The watchmen have found me, (Who are going round about the city), 'Him whom my soul have loved saw ye?'

But a little I passed on from them, Till I found him whom my soul hath loved! I seized him, and let him not go, Till I brought him in unto the house of my mother — And the chamber of her that conceived me.

I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes or by the hinds of the field, Stir not up nor wake the love till she please!

Who [is] this coming up from the wilderness, Like palm-trees of smoke, Perfumed [with] myrrh and frankincense, From every powder of the merchant?

Lo, his couch, that [is] Solomon's, Sixty mighty ones [are] around it, Of the mighty of Israel,

All of them holding sword, taught of battle, Each his sword by his thigh, for fear at night.

A palanquin king Solomon made for himself, Of the wood of Lebanon,

Its pillars he made of silver, Its bottom of gold, its seat of purple, Its midst lined [with] love, By the daughters of Jerusalem.

Go forth, and look, ye daughters of Zion, On king Solomon, with the crown, With which his mother crowned him, In the day of his espousals, And in the day of the joy of his heart!

Lo, thou [art] fair, my friend, lo, thou [art] fair, Thine eyes [are] doves behind thy veil, Thy hair as a row of the goats That have shone from mount Gilead,

Thy teeth as a row of the shorn ones That have come up from the washing, For all of them are forming twins, And a bereaved one is not among them.

As a thread of scarlet [are] thy lips, And thy speech [is] comely, As the work of the pomegranate [is] thy temple behind thy veil,

As the tower of David [is] thy neck, built for an armoury, The chief of the shields are hung on it, All shields of the mighty.

Thy two breasts [are] as two fawns, Twins of a roe, that are feeding among lilies.

Till the day doth break forth, And the shadows have fled away, I will get me unto the mountain of myrrh, And unto the hill of frankincense.

Thou [art] all fair, my friend, And a blemish there is not in thee. Come from Lebanon, O spouse,

Come from Lebanon, come thou in. Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Shenir and Hermon, From the habitations of lions, From the mountains of leopards.

Thou hast emboldened me, my sister-spouse, Emboldened me with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck.

How wonderful have been thy loves, my sister-spouse, How much better have been thy loves than wine, And the fragrance of thy perfumes than all spices.

Thy lips drop honey, O spouse, Honey and milk [are] under thy tongue, And the fragrance of thy garments [Is] as the fragrance of Lebanon.

A garden shut up [is] my sister-spouse, A spring shut up — a fountain sealed.

Thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits,

Cypresses with nard — nard and saffron, Cane and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices.

A fount of gardens, a well of living waters, And flowings from Lebanon!

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, Cause my garden to breathe forth, its spices let flow, Let my beloved come to his garden, And eat its pleasant fruits!

I have come in to my garden, my sister-spouse, I have plucked my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, drink, Yea, drink abundantly, O beloved ones!