Targum Ecclesiastes

Solomon’s Prophetic Vision

1 The words of prophecy which Qohelet, that is, Solomon the son of David the King, who was in Jerusalem, prophesied. 2 When Solomon the King of Israel foresaw through the spirit of prophecy, the kingdom of Rehoboam his son, which would be divided with Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and that Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed, and that the people of the House of Israel would be led into Exile, he said in his own words, “Emptiness of emptiness is this world! Emptiness of emptiness is everything that I and my father David had labored for, all of it is emptiness!”

3 What advantage is there to a person, after his death, from all his labor under the sun in this world, unless he studied the Torah to receive a full reward in the age to come from the Lord of the World?

Generations and the World

4 King Solomon said, through the spirit of prophecy, “The good generation of the Righteous departs from the world because of the sins of the wicked generation that is to follow them, but the earth remains forever and ever, to bear the punishment that will come upon the world, because of human sins.” 5 And the sun rises in the day from the east, and the sun goes down in the west by night, and hurries to its place, and goes through the path through the deep, and rises the following day from the place where it rested yesterday. 6 It travels along the whole southern side in the day, and goes around to the side of the north by night, through the path through the deep. It turns around and around to the wind of the southern quarter during the season of Nisan and Tammuz, and returns on its circuits to the wind of the northern quarter during the season of Tishri and Tevet. It comes through the windows of the east in the morning, and goes into the windows of the west in the evening. 7 All the rivers and springs of water go and flow into the waters of the ocean which surrounds the world like a ring, and the ocean is not full, and to the place where the streams go and flow there they go again through the channels of the deep.

The Limits of Knowledge

8 The ancient prophets exhausted themselves over all the things which will take place in the world, and they could not find out their end. Therefore, a person has no permission to declare what will be after him, neither can the eye see all that is to be in the world, nor can the ear be filled with hearing all the words of the inhabitants of the earth. 9 What was before, will happen again afterward, and what was done before will be done again to the end of all generations of the world, and there is no new thing in the world under the sun. 10 There may be something of which a man says, “Look, this is something new!” But it existed long ago, in the generations which were before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former generations, and the generations yet to come will also have no remembrance among the generations which will be in the days of the King Messiah.

Solomon’s Exile

12 When King Solomon was sitting on his royal throne, his heart became very proud because of his riches, and he disobeyed the decree of the Memra of the Lord, and he gathered many horses, and chariots, and horsemen, and he amassed much gold and silver, and he married from foreign nations, and then the Lord’s anger burned against him, and He sent Ashmedai, the king of the demons, to him, who drove him from the throne of his kingdom, and took away the ring from his hand, in order that he should roam and wander in exile through the world to discipline him. And he went about in the provincial towns and the cities of the land of Israel, weeping and lamenting, and saying, “I am Qohelet, who was formerly called Solomon. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my mind on asking for instruction from God at the time when He appeared to me in Gibeon, to test me, and to ask me what I wanted from Him, and I asked nothing from Him except wisdom, to know the difference between good and evil, and knowledge of whatever was done under the sun in this world, and I saw all the deeds of sinful people. This was a harmful task which God gave to people to afflict them. 14 I saw all the human deeds which were done under the sun in this world. Look, all is emptiness and breaking of the spirit.”

Wisdom and Its Limits

15 A man whose ways are perverted in this world, and who dies in them and does not repent, is not permitted to be set right after his death. And whoever lacks the Torah and commandments during his life is not permitted to be counted among the Righteous in the Garden of Eden after his death.

16 I said in the thoughts of my heart, “Look, I have increased and multiplied wisdom beyond all the wise who were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge. 17 And I set my mind to know wisdom, and the intrigues of the kingdom, and knowledge and understanding. I investigated and learned that even this is a breaking of the spirit to anyone who strives to discover them.”

18 Because a man who increases his wisdom when he sins, and does not repent, increases the anger of God. And he who increases knowledge and dies in his youth, increases the heartache of his relatives.

Pleasure and Wisdom

1 I said in my heart, “I will go now and try pleasure, and see the good of this world.” And when pain and affliction came upon me, I said in my own words, “This too is emptiness.” 2 In a time of affliction I said of laughter, “It is mockery.” And of pleasure, “What benefit does a person gain from it?”

3 I tried in my heart to indulge my body in the wine banquet house, and my heart guided me with wisdom, and to take hold of the folly of youth, until I examined and saw which of them was good for the people to do while they live in this world under the heavens throughout the days of their lives.

Solomon’s Works

4 I multiplied good works in Jerusalem. I built houses, the Temple, to make atonement for Israel, and a royal palace, and the chamber, and the porch, and a Beth Din of hewn stones, where the wise men and judges sit to judge. I made an ivory throne for the royal seat. I planted vineyards in Yavneh opposite the grape vineyards, that I and the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin could drink wine, and also to pour libations of wine, new and old, on the altar. 5 I made watered gardens and parks, and I sowed there all kinds of herbs, some for food, some for drink, and some for medicine, and all kinds of aromatic herbs. I planted fruitless trees there, and aromatic trees, which the spirits and evil spirits brought me from India, and all kinds of fruit-bearing trees. And its boundary was from the wall of the city of Jerusalem to the bank of the waters of Shiloah. 6 I examined water sources to see which were suitable for watering trees and which for herbs. I made pools of water to water even the woodland that produces firewood.

7 I bought male and female slaves from the children of Ham, and other foreign nations. And I had stewards in charge of food for my household, to provide for me and the people of my household with food for twelve months of the year, and one to provide for me during the extra month of a leap year. I also had cattle and sheep more than all generations before me in Jerusalem. 8 I gathered also treasures of silver and gold. Even accurate weights and measures I made from good gold. And the treasures of kings and provinces were given to me as tribute. I made for the Temple musical instruments, for the Levites to play at the sacrifices, and lyres and flutes for male and female singers to play in the wine house, and the human delights, and public baths and bathhouses, channels pouring out lukewarm water, and channels pouring out hot water. 9 And I multiplied goods and increased riches more than all generations before me in Jerusalem, because my wisdom remained with me and assisted me.

The Joy of Torah

10 And whatever the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin asked of me about declaring things pure or impure, or people innocent or guilty, I did not withhold from them any explanation of these things. And I did not keep my heart from the joy of the Torah, because I had time for my heart to enjoy the wisdom given me by God more than anyone else, and delighted in it more than in all my labor. And this was my good portion which was assigned to me, so that I might receive for it a full reward in the age to come, more than for all my labor. 11 And I considered all my deeds that my hands had done, and my labor that I had worked to accomplish, and look, it was all emptiness and breaking of spirit. And there is no profit in them under the sun in this world. But I will have full reward for good work in the age to come.

Wisdom and Fate

12 And I considered wisdom, and the intrigues of the kingdom and understanding, because what use is there in a person praying after the decree of the King, and after retribution? Look, it is then already decreed against him and executed on him. 13 And I saw through the spirit of prophecy that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of the light of the day over the darkness of night. 14 The wise man considers at the beginning what will happen at the end, and prays and averts the evil decree from the world. But the fool walks in darkness. And I also know that if the wise man does not pray and avert the evil decree from the world, when retribution comes upon the world, the same fate will happen to them all.

15 And I said in my heart, “A fate like that of Saul, the son of Kish, the king, who went astray in his rebellion, and did not keep the commandment given to him about Amalek, and the kingdom was taken from him, will also happen to me. And why then am I wiser than he is?” And I said in my heart, “This too is emptiness, and there is nothing except the decree of the Memra of the Lord.” 16 For the wise man is not remembered alongside the fool in the age to come, for after a person dies, when the days that follow him come, everything that happened in his lifetime will be forgotten. And why, then, do people say that the end of the Righteous is like that of the wicked?

Labor and Its Inheritance

17 And I hated all evil life, because the evil work which is done against the people under the sun in this world displeased me, for it is all emptiness, and breaking of spirit. 18 And I hated all my labor that I worked at under the sun in this world, for I must leave it to Rehoboam my son, who comes after me, and Jeroboam his servant will come and take ten tribes from his hands, and will possess half of the kingdom.

19 And who knows whether the king who will follow me will be wise or foolish, and reign over all my labor that I worked at in this world, and over everything I put in order in my wisdom under the sun in this world? And I was bewildered in my heart, and again said, “This too is emptiness.” 20 And I turned again to despair over all my labor that I worked at to acquire things and used wisdom to put them in order under the sun in this world.

21 Because there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, reason, and justice, and he dies without a child. And he must give it as a portion to someone who did not labor for it. This too is emptiness, and a great evil. 22 For what pleasure has this man for all his labor and breaking of his heart, with which he labored under the sun in this world? 23 For all his days are sorrowful, and intense anger marks his affairs, even in the night he does not sleep because of the thoughts of his heart. This too is emptiness.

Good Work and Reward

24 There is nothing worthwhile for a person except to eat, drink, and enjoy good things before other people, while obeying the Lord’s commandments, to walk in the straight path before Him, so that it may be well with him from his labor. Also this I saw, that if a man prospers in this world, it is from the hand of the Lord, who decrees it so for him. 25 For who is occupied with the words of the Torah, and who is the man that has anxiety about the great day of judgment which is to come, besides me? 26 For to the man whose deeds are right before God, He gave wisdom and knowledge in this world, and joy with the Righteous in the age to come. And to the wicked He gave harmful work, to gather money and to heap up much wealth, to be taken away from him, and to be given to him who pleases the Lord. This too is emptiness for the wicked, and breaking of spirit.

The Appointed Times

1 To every man comes a time, and to every matter an appointed season under heaven. 2 There is a special time to have sons and daughters, and a special time for killing disobedient and perverse children, to kill them with stones according to the decree of the judges. And an appointed time for planting a tree, and an appointed time for rooting up a planted tree.

3 An appointed time for killing in war, and an appointed time for healing the critically ill. An appointed time to destroy a building, and an appointed time to build up a ruin. 4 A time to weep for the dead, and an appointed time to be joyful with laughter. An appointed time to mourn over those killed, and an appointed time to dance at weddings.

5 An appointed time to throw away a heap of stones, and an appointed time to gather stones for a building. An appointed time to embrace a wife, and an appointed time to abstain from embracing her, in the seven days of mourning. 6 An appointed time to seek riches, and an appointed time to lose riches. An appointed time to keep merchandise, and an appointed time to throw merchandise into the sea, during a great storm.

7 An appointed time to tear the garment for the dead, and an appointed time to sew together the torn pieces. An appointed time to be silent and not to quarrel, and an appointed time to speak words of dispute. 8 An appointed time to love each other, and an appointed time to hate the wicked. An appointed time to make war, and an appointed time to restore peace.

The Work of Human Beings

9 What advantage has the working person, who labors to amass treasures, and to gather money, unless he is helped by Providence from above? 10 I saw the painful business and punishment which the Lord gave to the wicked people, to afflict them with it.

The Timing of God’s Works

11 King Solomon said through the spirit of prophecy, “God made everything beautiful in its time. For it was fitting for the conflict that occurred in the days of Jeroboam, son of Nebat to have occurred in the days of Sheba, son of Bichri, and it was delayed, and happened in the days of Jeroboam, son of Nebat. For if it had been in the days of Sheba, son of Bichri, the Temple would not have been built, because of the golden calves which the wicked Jeroboam made, and placed one in Bethel and one in Dan, and stationed guards on the road, and they stopped the pilgrims to the festivals. And therefore it was delayed up to the time when the Temple was built, so that Israel would not be prevented from building it. He concealed from them also the great Name written and expressed on the foundation stone, for He knew the evil inclinations in their hearts. For if it had been delivered into the hands of people, they would have used it, and found by it what would happen in the end of days, forever. And He also hid from them the day of death, so that no one would know from the beginning what would happen at the end.”

Goodness and Judgment

12 King Solomon said through the spirit of prophecy, “I know that there is nothing good among the people, but that they delight in the joy of the Torah, and do good in the days of their life. 13 And also that if any man eats and drinks and sees good in his days, and leaves all his labor to his children when he dies, this is a gift given to him from the Lord. 14 I know through the spirit of prophecy, that everything which the Lord does in the world, whether good or evil, whatever is decreed from His mouth, will be forever. No one is permitted to add to it or take from it. And when punishment comes into the world, it is the Lord who does it, so that people may fear Him.”

15 What has been from the beginning has happened. And what will be at the end of days has already happened. And at the great day of judgment the Lord will demand the poor and the needy from the hands of the wicked who persecuted him.

Justice and Injustice

16 And further, I saw under the sun in this world, the Beth Din, in which false judges condemn an innocent person in order to acquit the guilty in his case. And the place where the innocent is found, there the guilty is to tyrannize over him, because of the guilt of the wicked generation. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the innocent and the guilty on the great day of judgment, because a time is appointed for every matter, and for every work done in this world they will be judged there.”

Affliction and Repentance

18 I said in my heart concerning the people, as to the wounds and severe illnesses which come upon them, God sends these to test and examine them, to see whether they will return in repentance and be forgiven and healed. But the wicked who are like beasts do not repent, therefore they are disciplined through them to their own harm.

19 For as to the fate of the wicked, and the fate of the unclean beast, it is one fate for both of them. And as the unclean beast dies, so he dies who does not return in repentance before his death. And the breath of life of both is judged alike in every manner, and the advantage of a sinner over the unclean beast is nothing but the burial place. For all is emptiness. 20 All go to one place. All the inhabitants of the earth are made of dust, and when they die, all return to the dust.

21 Who is wise enough to know whether the life breath of people goes upward to heaven, and whether the life breath of animals goes down to the earth?

22 I saw, therefore, that there is no good in this world, but that a person should delight in his good deeds, and eat and drink, and enjoy himself, because this is his good portion in this world, to gain the age to come through it, so that no man should say in his heart, “Why am I giving money to charity? I had better leave it to my son after me, or support myself with it in my old age?” because who can bring him to see what will be after him?

Oppression and Envy

1 And I looked again and saw all the oppressions which are done to the Righteous in this world under the sun, from the hand of their oppressors. And there is no one to speak words of consolation to them. And there is no one to deliver them from the hand of their oppressors with a strong hand and power, and none comforts them. 2 And I praised the dead who have long since died, and do not see the punishment which comes into the world after their death, more than the living, who still live in such misery in this world. 3 And better than both of them is he who has not yet lived, and has not been created, who does not see the evil deeds done in this world under the sun.

4 And I saw all the labor and every good work which the people do, to be nothing but jealousy, a person emulating his neighbor, to do like him. He who emulates his neighbor to do good like him, the Memra of heaven will do him good. And if he emulates him in evil, to act as badly as he does, the Memra of heaven will do him evil. These things too are emptiness for the wicked, and breaking of spirit.

5 The fool goes and folds his hands in summer, and will not labor. And in winter he eats all he has, even the clothing from his body. 6 For a person, one handful of food with contentment, and without robbery and violence is better than two handfuls of food with robbery and violence, for which he will have to pay at the judgment with labor and breaking of spirit.

Solitude and Companionship

7 And I turned and saw the emptiness which is destined to be in this world under the sun. 8 There is a solitary man, with no companion beside him. He has neither son nor brother to inherit his property, and there is no end to all his labor, and even his eye cannot be satisfied with his riches, and he does not say in his heart, “Why am I laboring and depriving myself of good things? I will get up now and give some of it to charity, and will be joyful in this world with the people, and with the Righteous in the age to come.” This too is emptiness and harmful work.

9 Two Righteous people in a generation are better than one, and it is they who lead successfully, and cause their words to be heard. They have a good reward in the age to come for their labor with which they worked to sustain their generation. 10 For if one of them falls ill in bed and lies sick, the other will cause his friend to rise by his prayer. But if there is only one innocent man in a generation, if he falls ill in bed and lies sick, he has no companion in his generation to pray for him, yet he will recover from his sickness through his own merit.

11 Also if two sleep together, a man and his wife, they will be warm in the winter. But one, how can he be warm? 12 And if a wicked and strong man rises in a generation, and his deeds are corrupt, and cause punishments to come in the world, two Righteous people will stand up against him, and abolish the punishment by their merits. And how much more useful are three Righteous people who are in a generation, and peace is among them, like a chain that is woven of threefold cords, which does not easily break.

Abraham and Nimrod

13 Abraham, who is the poor youth, and in whom was the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, and to whom the Lord was known when three years old, and who would not worship an idol, is better than the wicked Nimrod, who was an old and foolish king. And because Abraham would not worship an idol, he threw him into the burning furnace, and a miracle was performed for him from the Lord of the World, and He delivered him from it. And even after this, Nimrod had no sense to heed the warning not to worship the idol which he worshiped before. 14 For Abraham went out from the family of idolaters, and reigned over the land of Canaan, for even in the reign of Abraham, Nimrod became poor in the world.

Rehoboam’s Kingdom

15 King Solomon said, “Through the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, I foresaw all the living who walk in their folly rebel against Rehoboam, my son, under heaven, and divide his kingdom to give it to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, except the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, whose hearts remained faithful to the boy, that is, Rehoboam my son, who, second in my kingdom, is to rise and reign in Jerusalem, the place of his inheritance. 16 There was no end to all the House of Israel, to all the Righteous before whom he ruled. But they advised him in their wisdom to lighten their yoke, and he in his folly went and consulted the young men, and they in their folly, advised him to make heavier the yoke of his kingdom on the people of the House of Israel, and he left the advice of the aged, and followed the advice of the latter. But these latter men later regretted it and were displeased with him, and they brought about the separation of the ten tribes from him. And the wicked Jeroboam ruled over them. I said, ‘This too is emptiness for Rehoboam my son, and breaking of spirit to him.’”

Approaching the Temple

17 You, human being, watch your step when you go to the Temple of the Lord to pray, so that you do not go there full of sin before you have repented, and listen closely to receive the teaching of the Torah from the priests and sages, and do not be like fools, who bring sacrifices for their sins, and do not stop the evil deeds to which they cling, and their sacrifices are not accepted, for they do not know whether they do good or evil through them.

Words and Vows Before the Lord

1 Do not rush your speech so as to make a mistake in the words of your mouth, and do not let your heart rush to speak when you pray before the Lord, for the Lord rules over all the world, and sits on His glorious throne in the high heavens, and you sit on earth. Therefore let the words of your mouth be few. 2 For as a dream comes through the thoughts of the heart engaged in a multitude of affairs, so a fool’s voice comes through the multitude of empty words.

3 When you make a vow before the Lord, do not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord has no pleasure in fools, because they delay their vows and do not fulfill them, but you must fulfill whatever you vow. 4 It is better for you not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

5 Do not degrade the words of your mouth to cause judgments of Gehenna on your flesh. And in the day of the great judgment you will not be able to say before the avenging angel who exercises dominion over you, ‘It was a mistake.’ Why then should the Lord’s anger burn against the voice of your shameful speech, and destroy the works of your hand? 6 For in the multitude of the dreams of the false prophets, and in the empty promises of sorcerers, and in the many words of the wicked, do not believe, but serve the wise and the Righteous. Seek instruction from them, and fear the Lord.

Power and Provision

7 When you see the oppression of the poor, robbery, and justice and righteousness in the city, do not be astonished in your heart and say, “How can all this be the Lord’s will?” For the mighty God from the highest heavens watches the works of the people, whether good or evil, and from Him proud and powerful men are sent to rule over the wicked, and to be appointed masters over them. 8 And the great advantage of cultivating the land is above all, for when the subjects of a country revolt, and the king is driven by them into the open country, if he has no grain to eat, this very king becomes subject to a laborer in the field.

Wealth and Charity

9 A merchant who loves to acquire money, and men of business, will not be satisfied in amassing money. And he who loves to heap up much money, has no praise in the age to come, unless he has given some of it to charity, because he has not deserved to eat fruit. This too is emptiness. 10 When good is multiplied in the world, the people who eat it are also multiplied. And what advantage is there to the owner who gathers it unless he does good with it, so that with his own eyes he may see its reward given in the age to come?

Rest and Torah

11 Sweet is the sleep of a man who serves the Lord of the World with all his heart. And he has rest in his grave, whether he lives few years or many years. After having served the Lord of the World in this world, he will inherit in the age to come a reward for the works of his hand. And the man who is rich in wisdom possesses the wisdom of God’s Torah. Just as he occupies himself with it in this world, and works hard at learning, so it will rest with him in the grave, and not leave him alone, just as a woman does not leave her husband to sleep alone.

Wealth Kept for Harm

12 There is a grievous evil which I saw in this world under the sun, and there is no remedy for it. A man who gathers riches and does no good with them finds that at the end of days these riches are kept for him for his condemnation in the age to come. 13 And the riches, which he leaves to his son after his death, will be lost, because he got them in an evil way, and they will not remain in the hand of the son whom he has fathered, and nothing whatever will remain in his hand.

14 As he came out of his mother’s womb naked, without a covering, and without any good, so he will return to his grave, without merit, just as he came into this world. And he will receive no good reward whatever for his labor, to carry with him into the world where he goes, as merit in his possession. 15 And this also is a grievous evil, and there is no remedy for it, as he came into this world without merit, so he will depart into that world. And what advantage has he that he labored for his spirit? 16 Also all his days he lives in darkness, that he may eat his bread alone, and he experiences great anguish, and his life is in sickness and anger.

The Good Use of Wealth

17 And I have seen what is good for people, and what is fitting for them to do in this world, that they eat and drink from their labors, in order not to use their hands for oppression and robbery, and to keep the words of the Torah, and to have compassion on the poor, so that they may see good in all their labors for which they labor in this world under the sun, throughout the days of a person’s life, which God in His providence gives him. For this is his portion, and there is no other besides it. 18 Also every man to whom the Lord has given riches and wealth, and whom the Lord has empowered to eat of it in this world, and to give charity from it, and to receive a full reward in the age to come, and to delight in his work with the Righteous, this is a gift which is given to him in providence from the Lord. 19 For a person does not live many days, enough to know about the days of his life, how many of them will be good, and how many of them will be evil, because this is not entrusted to people. The Lord has decreed for him how many days he will suffer, and how many days he will live with joy in his heart.

Wealth Without Enjoyment

1 There is an evil which I saw in this world under the sun, and it is a heavy burden on people. 2 A man to whom God gave in His providence riches, honor, and wealth, and his soul lacks nothing of everything that he desires, and the Lord has not given him power, because of his sins, to enjoy it. But he dies childless, and his relative would not take possession of his inheritance, and so his wife will be married to a stranger, and he will take away the inheritance and consume it. All this his sins have brought upon him, because he did no good with it, and his riches became emptiness and grievous evil for him.

Life Without Goodness

3 If a man were to father a hundred children, and were to live many years, and were in power and dominion all the days of his life, and his soul has not enjoyed the good which he has, because he loved his riches, and has not acquired with it a good name, nor even prepared himself a grave, I say in my own words, “Better than he is a stillbirth, which has not seen this world.” 4 For in emptiness he came into this world, and departs in darkness into that world. And his name is covered in darkness, because he has no merit, and has not acquired a good name worthy of remembrance. 5 And he did not even see the light of the Torah, and did not know good from evil, to discern between this world and the age to come.

6 And if the days of the life of this man were two thousand years, and he had not studied the Torah, and had not practiced justice and charity, by the oath of the Memra of the Lord, on the day of his death his soul will go to Gehenna, to the same place where all sinners go.

Labor and the Soul

7 As for all the labor of a person, he labors for the food of his mouth. And by the word of the Lord’s mouth he is sustained, and even the soul of man is not satisfied with eating and drinking. 8 For what advantage has the wise man in this world over the fool, because of the wicked generation by which he is not accepted? And what is this poor man to do but to study the Torah of the Lord, so that he may know how he will have to walk in the presence of the Righteous in the Garden of Eden?

9 It is better for a man to be glad about what he has, and to give charity, and to see a good reward for his deeds in the day of the great judgment, than to go into that world with an afflicted soul. For this is emptiness, and a breaking of spirit to a guilty man.

Human Limits

10 What has been in the world, its name has long been called, and has been made known to the people from the day that the first Adam existed, and all is the decree of the Memra of the Lord. And a person is not permitted to stand in judgment with the Lord of the World, who is stronger than he. 11 For there are many things which multiply emptiness in the world. What advantage has the man who is occupied with them? 12 For who knows what will benefit people in this world, but to study the Torah, which is the life of the world? And all the days of his empty life seem like a shadow to him at the time of his death. For who can tell a person what there is before him in this world under the sun?

A Good Name and Mourning

1 The good name which the Righteous acquire in this world is better than the anointing oil which was poured on the heads of kings and priests. And the day when a man dies and departs to the grave with a good name and merits is better than the day when the wicked is born into the world. 2 It is better to go to a mourning person to comfort him, than to go to the wine banquet house of mockers. For everyone’s end is to go to the house of mourning, for death is decreed for everyone, and by going into the house of mourning the righteous man sits down and takes to heart the words of death. And if he has any evil in his hands he will leave it, and return in repentance before the Lord of the World.

3 Better is the anger with which the Lord of the World is angry with the Righteous in this world, than the laughter with which He laughs at the wicked. For by the displeasure of the face of the Shekinah famine and punishment come into the world to improve the heart of the Righteous, and they pray before the Lord of the World, who has mercy on them. 4 The heart of the wise mourns over the destruction of the Temple, and grieves over the Exile of the House of Israel. And the heart of fools is in the joy of the house of their mockery. They eat and drink and live in luxury, and do not take to heart the affliction of their brothers.

Wisdom and Rebuke

5 It is better to sit studying in the house of instruction, and to hear the rebuke of the wise in the Torah, than for a man to go to hear the sound of a musical instrument of a fool. 6 For as the sound of the crackling of thorns which burn under a pot, so is the noisy laughter of the fool. This too is emptiness. 7 For the robber mocks at the wise man because the wise man does not go in his way, and destroys with his evil speech the prudent heart of the wise, which was given to him as a gift from heaven.

Patience and Restraint

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, for in its beginning a person does not know what its end will be, but at the end a person knows that a matter is good. And a man who controls his spirit and restrains his inclination is better before the Lord than a man who lives in spiritual arrogance. 9 And when discipline from heaven comes upon you, do not rush to anger in your heart, and to utter words of rebellion against heaven, for if you bear them patiently, you will be forgiven. And if you are rebellious and angry, know that anger rests in the lap of fools until it has destroyed them.

10 In the time of oppression, do not say, “What existed in the world before now was good.” For the former days were better, and the men of that generation had better deeds than these, and therefore good came to them. And you are not asking wisely about this.

Wisdom and Goodness

11 The wisdom of the Torah is good, along with the inheritance of money, and better still for a person to behave humbly among the people who live on earth, who see good and evil under the sun in this world. 12 For as a man is sheltered under the shadow of wisdom, so he is sheltered under the shadow of money, when he gives charity with it. And the advantage of knowing the wisdom of the Torah is that it raises its possessor from the grave for the age to come.

13 Consider the work of the Lord, and His power. He made the blind, the hunchback, and the lame, to be different in the world. For who is he that can make straight one of these, but the Lord of the World who made him crooked? 14 In the day when the Lord is doing good, be happy too and do good to all the world so that the evil day may not come upon you. See and consider. And also God has made this against that to discipline the people of the world, so that a person should not find afterward any evil in the age to come.

Righteousness and Judgment

15 All this I saw in the days of my empty life, that the Lord decrees good and evil to occur in the world, according to the planets under which the people are created. For there is a righteous man perishing in his righteousness in this world, and his merit is kept for him for the age to come. And there is a wicked man who prolongs his days in his guilt, and the account of his evil deeds is kept for him for the age to come, to be repaid for it in the day of the great judgment.

16 Do not be excessively righteous when the guilty person is condemned to death in your Beth Din, so as to have compassion on him and not to kill him. And do not thus become excessively wise with the wisdom of the wicked who stand in the way, and do not learn their ways. Why then would you destroy your way? 17 Do not follow the thoughts of your heart to sin much, and do not stay away from the house of instruction in God’s Torah and become a fool. Why should you cause death to your soul, and the years of your life be shortened to die, before your time comes to die?

Commerce and Torah

18 It is good for you to engage in this world’s affairs to benefit yourself through commerce, and also that you hold firmly to your portion in the book of the Torah, for a man who fears the Lord performs the duty of both.

Joseph and His Brothers

19 And the wisdom of Joseph, son of Jacob, helped him to make him wise before his ten Righteous brothers, who ruled in the fear of the Lord. And the evil inclination did not rule in them when they were in the metropolis of Egypt, and they did not kill their brother Joseph who annoyed them at that time with the voice of his words.

20 For there is no righteous man in the land, who does good all his days, and does not sin before the Lord. But the man who sins before the Lord, ought to return in repentance before he dies.

Words and Wisdom

21 Also, do not set your heart on accepting all the words which the wicked speak to you, so that the days do not come when you hear your servant curse you and have no power to be delivered from his hands. 22 Then see to it that you accept the judgment as just when someone unlike you curses you. For your heart knows that many times you too have cursed other men.

23 All that I said I have tested with wisdom. I said in my own words, “I will also be wise in all the wisdom of the Torah.” But it was far from me. 24 For a long time it has been beyond people’s reach to know all that has been from the days of old. And who is he that will find out by his wisdom the secret of the day of death, and the secret of the day when the King Messiah will come?

Solomon’s Search

25 I turned to think in my heart, and to know and to examine and to seek wisdom, and the reckoning of the reward for the deeds of the Righteous, and to know the punishment of the guilt of the fool, and the understanding of the intrigues of the kingdom. 26 And I found a thing more bitter to man than the bitterness of the day of death, a woman who causes much tribulation to her husband, and entangles him, in whose heart are snares, and whose hands are bound so that she cannot work with them. The righteous before God is the man who gets rid of her by a certificate of divorce, and relieves himself of her. But the guilty before God is the man who marries her, and is ensnared with her adultery.

27 “Look, this is the work which I have found,” said Qohelet, who is called Solomon, King of Israel. “I have examined the planets one in connection with the other, to find out the account of the people, what will be in their end.”

28 There is another thing which my soul is still seeking but has not found, namely, a perfect and just man, without any corruption, from the days of the first Adam until Abraham the Righteous was born, who was found faithful and just among the thousand kings that gathered together to build the tower of Babel. And among all those kings’ wives I have not found a worthy woman.

29 But look, this I found, that God made the first Adam upright before Him and just. And the serpent and Eve seduced him to eat of the fruit of the tree, because those who eat its fruit would be wise to discern between good and evil, and they brought upon him and all the inhabitants of the earth the day of death. And they sought to find many calculations in order to bring a plague upon the inhabitants of the earth.

Wisdom and the King’s Decree

1 Who is the wise man who can stand before the wisdom of the Lord, and know the interpretations of the words, like the prophets? The wisdom of a wise man enlightens the brightness of his face among the Righteous, and as for the impudent, all his ways are changed from good to bad. 2 Guard your mouth about the commands of the King to keep whatever he commands, and be also on your guard about the matter of an oath of the Lord, so that you do not swear falsely by the name of His Memra.

3 And in the time of the anger of the Lord do not cease to pray before Him. Hurry before Him, go and pray and seek mercy from Him, so that you do not persist in an evil matter. For the Lord of all worlds, the Lord, will do what He pleases. 4 In the place where the decree of the Memra of the King who rules over all the world has gone out, it is done immediately, and who is the man that would restrain His hand, and say to Him, “What have You done?”

Judgment and Human Limits

5 The man who keeps the commandments of the Lord will not know any evil in the age to come. And the time of prayer, and judgment, and truth, is known in the heart of the wise. 6 For to every matter there is a good and an evil time, and the whole world is judged by true judgment. And when it is decreed from the Lord that punishment should be in the world, it is because of the guilt of evildoers which is a heavy burden on them. 7 For no wise man knows what will be with him at the end, for when the Lord wishes to afflict him, who will tell him?

8 There is no man who has power over his life breath to retain the soul of life, so that it does not depart from the human body. And there is no power in the day of death for a man to save his companion, and no weapons to help in the battle, and guilt will not save its master in the great day of judgment.

Power and Retribution

9 All this I saw which has happened in this world, and I set my mind to know all the deeds done in this world under the sun, at the time when man rules over man to afflict him. 10 And indeed I have seen sinners who are buried and blotted out of the world, from the holy place where the Righteous dwell, and went to be burned in Gehenna, and are forgotten from among the inhabitants of the city, and as they have done to others, so it is done to them. This too is emptiness.

11 And because the evil thing, the punishment of the wicked, is not quickly carried out for their evil deeds, therefore the human heart is filled with the desire to do evil in this world. 12 And when a sinner does evil a hundred years, and the Lord gives him time to repent, yet it is revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, and I know that it will be well in the age to come with those that fear the Lord, that fear before Him, and do His will. 13 And it will not be well with the wicked, and there will be no extension of life for him in the age to come. And in this world the days of his life will be cut short. They will flee and pass away like a shadow, because he did not fear the Lord.

The Righteous and the Wicked

14 There is an emptiness that is decreed to be done upon the face of the earth. There are Righteous people to whom evil happens as if they had done like the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom good happens as if they had done like the deeds of the Righteous. And I saw by the Holy Spirit that the evil which happens to the Righteous in this world is not for their guilt, but to exact payment from them for a slight transgression, that their reward may be perfect in the age to come. And the good that comes to the sinners in this world is not for their merits, but to give them a reward for their small merit they have acquired, so that they may eat their reward in this world, and to destroy their portion in the age to come. I said in my own words, “This too is emptiness.”

The Joy of Torah

15 And I praised the joy of the Torah, since there is no good for man in this world under the sun, but to eat and drink and take joy in his labor and in his portion, which is given to him from heaven, and not to use his hands for violence and robbery. And this will accompany him in peace into that world, and he will receive a perfect reward for his labor with which he sincerely worked all the days of his life, which the Lord gave him in this world under the sun.

The Search for Understanding

16 As I set my mind to know the wisdom of the Torah, and to see the business which is done on earth, even the wise man who desires to be occupied with the Torah and to find wisdom must toil, since he has no rest in the day, and sees no sleep with his eyes in the night. 17 And I saw every mighty work of the Lord, for it inspires awe. And a person is not permitted to find out the mighty work of the Lord which is done in this world under the sun. When a person labors to seek what will be, he will not find it. And even if a wise man says in his own words that he will know what will be at the end of days, he cannot find it.

Destiny and Judgment

1 For all this I have taken to heart, to examine all this, that the Righteous and the wise, and their disciples who serve them in studying the Torah, are in the hand of the Lord, whatever will take place in the world in their day is decreed by Him. The love with which a person loves them and the hatred with which he hates them, there is no prophet in the world who knows what will be in a person. Whatever happens to man has been decreed beforehand, according to the planet, to take place. 2 Everything depends upon the planets, whatever happens to anyone is fixed in heaven. The same fate comes to the innocent and to the guilty, to him who amends his ways and purifies his soul, and to him who defiles his soul, to him who brings a holy sacrifice, and to him who does not bring holy sacrifices, alike to the Righteous and the sinner, to the man who perjures himself, and the man who fears an oath.

3 This is a great misfortune in all the world which occurs under the sun, for one fate is for all, for every inhabitant of the earth. And also the heart of the people is full of evil because of it, and intrigues are in their hearts all the days of their lives, and after a person’s end he is reserved for correction with the dead in the judgment of the guilty.

Life and Repentance

4 For who is the man that adheres to all the words of the Torah, and has hope to acquire the life of the age to come? For a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the Righteous know that if they sin, they will be regarded as dead in the age to come, therefore they keep their ways and do not sin. And if they sin they return in repentance. But the wicked do not know any good, for they do not make their deeds good during their lives, and do not know any good in the age to come, and they have no good reward after their death, for their remembrances are forgotten from among the Righteous.

6 After the death of the wicked they are useless. Their love, as well as their hatred and jealousy, they have perished long ago from the world! And they have no longer a good portion with the Righteous in the age to come, and they have no enjoyment from all that is done in this world under the sun.

The Reward of Goodness

7 Solomon said through the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, The Lord of the World will say to each of the Righteous personally, “Go eat with joy the bread which has been laid up for you for the bread which you have given to the poor and needy that were hungry, and drink with a good heart the wine which has been preserved for you in the Garden of Eden for the wine which you mixed to the poor and needy that were thirsty. For your good work has long been acceptable before the Lord.”

8 At all times let your garment be white from all pollution of sin, and acquire a good name, which is likened to anointing oil, so that blessings will come down on your head and your goodness will not fail.

9 Enjoy a good life with the wife you love, all the days of your empty life, which the Lord, through destiny, has given you in this world under the sun, for this is your portion in life, and in the labor with which you work in this world under the sun.

10 Whatever goodness and charity your hand finds to do for the poor, do it with all your strength, for after death there is no work for man, nor account, knowledge, or wisdom, in the grave where you are going. And nothing will help you except good deeds and charity alone.

Time and Fate

11 King Solomon said, “When I sat on my royal throne, I considered and saw in this world under the sun that men who are swift as eagles are not helped by running to escape from death in battle, and that the mighty are not helped by carrying on war in their strength, nor are the wise helped by their wisdom to find bread in the time of famine, nor are the intelligent helped by their intelligence to gather riches, nor are the prudent helped by their prudence to find favor in the eyes of a king, for time and fate happen to all according to their planets. 12 For a person does not know his time, whether that which will be in the world and come upon him will be good or evil. Like fish of the sea which are caught on a hook, and birds of heaven which are caught in a snare, so people are caught in an evil time, which is appointed to fall upon them in a moment from heaven.”

The Body and Its Inclinations

13 I also saw this wisdom in this world under the sun, and it is great to me. 14 The human body is like a small town, and in it are a few mighty men, just as the merits in the heart of man are few. And the evil inclination, who is like a great and powerful king, enters into the body to seduce it, and besieges the body to seduce it, and builds around it a place to lie in wait, because he wishes to cause him to depart from the way which is straight before the Lord, to catch him in the great snares of Gehenna, in order to burn him seven times for his sins. 15 And there is found in the body a good inclination, humble and wise, and he prevails over him, and subdues him by his wisdom and saves the body from the judgment of Gehenna by his power and wisdom, like a man who makes war and delivers the inhabitants of the city by the wisdom of his heart. And a person does not remember afterward the good inclination who saved him, but says in his heart, “I am innocent,” just as the inhabitants of that town do not remember the poor man who delivered them.

The Strength of Wisdom

16 And I said in my own words, “The wisdom of the Righteous is better than the force of the strength of the wicked. For the wisdom of the Righteous and his merit save both him and the men of his generation. But the power of the wicked who persists in the stubbornness of his heart refusing to return in repentance, only destroys himself alone. And the wisdom of the Righteous poor is despised in the eyes of the wicked of his generation. And when he reproves them for their evil deeds, they do not receive his words of rebuke.”

17 The words of prayer of the wise, offered in silence, are accepted before the Lord of the World, more than the exclamations of the wicked man who rules over fools, who cries out but is not accepted. 18 Better is the wisdom of the wise in time of oppression, than weapons in the time of waging war, and one sinner in a generation causes much good to perish from the world.

The Inclination and Wisdom

1 And the evil inclination which dwells at the gate of the heart is as a fly, causing death in the world by betraying the wise when he sins, and destroying the good name which was before like anointing oil, perfumed with aromatics. And how much more beautiful and precious than the wisdom of the wise and the riches of the rich is the man whose folly is slight and insignificant! 2 The heart of the wise is to acquire the Torah which was given by the right hand of the Lord, and the heart of the fool is to acquire riches of silver and gold. 3 And also when the fool walks in an offensive way, his heart lacks wisdom, and he does things which are not right to do, and all say that he is a fool.

Torah as a Remedy

4 If the spirit of the evil inclination rules over you, and strives to overcome you, do not leave the good place where you used to stand, for the words of the Torah were made to be remedies in the world, to forgive and erase great sins from before the Lord.

Rulers and Their Errors

5 There is an evil which I saw in this world under the sun, and what injury is it in the world, like an error hastily uttered against a man, and that by a ruler. 6 The Lord from the high heavens makes the wicked and foolish king to be strong in his good star, and to minister prosperously, and his armies to be proud and numerous. But your people, the House of Israel, are subject to him in Exile. And because of the multitude of their sins the rich in goods became poor, and lived in humiliation among the nations.

7 King Solomon said through the spirit of prophecy, “I saw nations who were before subject to the people of the House of Israel, now prosperous, and riding on horses like princes, while the people of the House of Israel and their nobles walk on the ground like slaves.”

The Attribute of Justice

8 The Attribute of Justice answered and said, “They brought all this upon themselves. As a man who digs a pit at a crossroads falls into it, so the people who transgress the decrees of the Memra of the Lord, and break the fences of the world fall into the hand of a wicked king, who bites them like a serpent.”

Manasseh and Rabshakeh

9 King Solomon the prophet said, “It is revealed to me that Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, will sin and worship idols of stone, so he will be delivered into the hand of the King of Assyria, and he will fasten him with fetters, because he set aside the words of the Torah which are written on the stone tablets from the beginning, therefore he will suffer for it. And Rabshakeh, his brother, will worship an image of wood and forsake the words of the Torah which are laid in the ark of acacia wood. Therefore he will be burned in a fire by the angel of the Lord.”

Famine and Repentance

10 And when the people of the House of Israel sin, and the heavens are made hard as iron to keep back the rain, and that generation does not pray before the Lord, all the world is afflicted with famine on their account. And when they repent and the multitude gathers and overcome their inclination, and appoint their leaders to ask mercy from the Lord of heaven, there is acceptance for them, because of the abundance of their true wisdom.

11 When the fiery serpents are roused to devour and to injure the world, it is because of the sins of the House of Israel, for not having been occupied with the words of the Torah in quietness. And there will also be no advantage to the slanderer who talks with a threefold tongue, because he will be burned in the fire of Gehenna.

Wise and Foolish Speech

12 When punishment comes upon the world, a wise man found in that generation prays with the words of his mouth and removes the punishment and finds mercy before the Lord. But the lips of the fool are full of reproach, and therefore all the world is destroyed. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, and the end of the word of his mouth is evil intrigue.

14 And the fool multiplies empty words that have no use, so much so that no man knows what will be in his days. And what will become of him at the end, who can tell him? 15 The labor of a fool who works foolishly wearies him, because he will not learn to go to the city where the wise dwell to seek instruction.

The Rulers of Israel

16 How terrible for you, land of Israel, when wicked Jeroboam reigns over you, and removes from you the morning sacrifices, and your princes eat bread before offering the daily morning sacrifice.

17 How fortunate for you, land of Israel, when Hezekiah son of Ahaz, from the family of the house of David, King of Israel, who is mighty in the Torah, reigns over you and fulfills the obligations of the commandments. And your nobles, after having offered the daily sacrifice, will eat bread at the fourth hour, about ten in the morning, from the work of their hands in the strength of the Torah, and not in weakness and blindness of eyes.

Neglect and Goodness

18 Through neglect of studying the Torah and the commandments, man becomes poor in children, and when a woman disregards the commandment to observe separation during the uncleanness of blood, she is always in a menstrual state in her house.

19 The Righteous joyfully make bread to nourish the hungry poor. And the wine which they mix for the thirsty will be pleasure to them in the age to come. And the redemption money will proclaim their merit in the age to come before everyone.

Words Spoken in Secret

20 Even in your mind, in the innermost recesses of your heart, do not curse the king, and in your bedroom do not revile a wise man, for the angel Raziel proclaims every day from heaven on Mount Horeb, and the sound of his voice goes into all the world, and Elijah the High Priest continually hovers in the air like an eagle with wings, and discloses the things that are done in secret to all the inhabitants of the earth.

Giving and Sowing

1 Give your nourishing bread to the poor who go in ships on the surface of the water, for after a period of many days you will find its reward in the age to come. 2 Give a good portion of the seed to your field in Tishri, and do not cease from sowing even in Kislev, for you do not know what evil will be upon the earth, whether the early or late crops will succeed.

Rain and Heavenly Decrees

3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will pour the water upon the earth, because of the merit of the Righteous. And if there is no merit in that generation, they will pour it into the sea and desert, so that the people will not enjoy it. And if it is once decreed from heaven that the king and his advisers should fall and be removed from their dominion, it is by the Memra of heaven. Or that plenty or famine is to be in the south or north, in the place where this counsel has been decreed there it will certainly be.

Divination and Human Limits

4 A man who pays attention to sorcery and divination will never do good, and he who watches the planets will not reap a reward, for sorcery is like the wind, not to be seized by human hands. And planets are like the clouds of heaven, which pass away and do not return. 5 As you do not know how the spirit of the breath of life goes into the body of an infant which rests in the womb of its pregnant mother, and as you do not know whether it is a male or female until it is born, so you do not understand the work of the Lord, who made all in wisdom.

Youth and Old Age

6 In the days of your youth marry a wife and father children, and in the time of your old age do not abandon your wife and stop having children, for you do not know which of them is destined to be good, one or the other, or whether both will be equally good.

The Light of Torah

7 And the light of the Torah is sweet, and fit to brighten dark eyes to see the glorious face of the Shekinah, which will brighten from the splendor of the Shekinah the face of the Righteous, that their beauty may be like the sun. 8 For if a person lives many days, he ought to take joy in all of them, and to study the Torah of the Lord. Let him remember the days of the darkness of death, and avoid sin, for many are the days when he will lie dead in the grave to receive the judgment from heaven for the life he loved, all the time punishment comes upon him for the emptiness he has done.

Youth and Judgment

9 Be joyful, young man, in the days of your youth, and let your heart be cheerful in the days of your childhood, and walk in humility with the ways of your heart, and be careful as to the things your eyes see, and do not look at evil, and know that for all this the Lord will bring you into judgment. 10 And put away anger from your heart, and bring no evil on your flesh, for youth and the days of black hair are emptiness.

Remembering the Creator

1 And remember your Creator to honor Him in the days of your youth, before the evil days come near you, and the years come upon you when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” 2 Before the glorious brightness of your face which is like the sun changes, and before the light of your eyes darken, and before the beauty of your cheeks becomes black, and before the pupils of your eyes, which are like stars, grow dim, your eyelids drop down tears like clouds after rain.

3 In the day when your knees tremble, and your arms shake, and the teeth in your mouth stop working so that they cannot chew food, and your eyes which look through the openings of your head grow dark. 4 And your feet are prevented from going into the street, and the appetite for food will leave you, and you will wake from your sleep at the sound of a bird, as at thieves that go about during the night, and your lips will lose the strength to sing.

5 You will even be afraid to remember the works which have been before now, and a small rise will seem to you, like a great mountain when you walk on the road. And the top of your spine will protrude from thinness like the almond, and the ankles of your feet will swell, and you will be prevented from having intercourse, for a person prepares to go to the place of his burial. And the angels that seek your judgment walk about like mourners, walking about the street, to write the account of the judgment.

6 Before your tongue becomes unable to speak, and the skull of your head is shattered, and your gall at the liver is broken, and your body hurries into the grave. 7 And your flesh which is created of dust will return again into the earth as it was before, and your life breath will return to stand in judgment before the Lord who gave it to you.

Qohelet’s Teaching

8 When Solomon, king of Israel, reflected upon the emptiness of this world, and upon the empty deeds which the people do, Qohelet said in his own words, “All is emptiness.” 9 And Solomon, who was called Qohelet, was far wiser than all other people, and further, he taught the people of the House of Israel knowledge. And he listened to the voice of the wise, and searched the books of wisdom, and through the spirit of prophecy from the Lord composed many wise books, and very many wise sayings.

Judgment and Witnesses

10 King Solomon, who was called Qohelet, wanted to use his wisdom to judge the thoughts of people’s hearts without witnesses. Therefore he was told through the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, “It has long been written in the book of the Torah through Moses, the teacher of Israel, in true and reliable words, ‘A matter must be established by the word of witnesses.’”

The Words of the Wise

11 The words of the wise are like goads and forks that urge those who lack knowledge to learn wisdom, as the goad teaches the ox. And so are the words of the rabbis of the Sanhedrin, the masters of the halakhot and midrashim which were given through Moses the prophet, who alone fed the people of the House of Israel in the wilderness with manna and delicacies. 12 And more than these, my son, take care to make many books of wisdom without end, to study the words of the Torah diligently, and to consider the weariness of the flesh.

The Final Accounting

13 In the end, a thing which was done in this world in secret will altogether be revealed, and known to all the people. Therefore fear the Memra of the Lord, and keep His commandments, so that you do not sin in secret. And if you sin, be careful to repent. For this ought to be the way of every man. 14 For the Lord will bring every deed to the great day of judgment, and make public the thing which is hidden from people, whether good or evil.