1For, behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah supply and support,
the whole supply of bread,
and the whole supply of water;
2the mighty man,
the man of war,
the judge,
the prophet,
the diviner,
the elder,
3the captain of fifty,
the honorable man,
the counselor,
the skilled craftsman,
and the clever enchanter.
4I will give boys to be their princes,
and children shall rule over them.
5The people will be oppressed,
everyone by another,
and everyone by his neighbor.
The child will behave himself proudly against the old man,
and the wicked against the honorable.
6Indeed a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing, you be our ruler,
and let this ruin be under your hand.”
7In that day he will cry out, saying, “I will not be a healer;
for in my house is neither bread nor clothing.
You shall not make me ruler of the people.”
8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen;
because their tongue and their doings are against Yahweh,
to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9The look of their faces testify against them.
They parade their sin like Sodom.
They don’t hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought disaster upon themselves.
10Tell the righteous that it will be well with them,
for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.
11Woe to the wicked!
Disaster is upon them,
for the deeds of their hands will be paid back to them.
12As for my people, children are their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
My people, those who lead you cause you to err,
and destroy the way of your paths.
13Yahweh stands up to contend,
and stands to judge the peoples.
14Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people
and their leaders:
“It is you who have eaten up the vineyard.
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15What do you mean that you crush my people,
and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
16Moreover Yahweh said, “Because the daughters of Zion are arrogant,
and walk with outstretched necks and flirting eyes,
walking daintily as they go,
jingling ornaments on their feet;
17therefore the Lord brings sores on the crown of the head of the women of Zion,
and Yahweh will make their scalps bald.”
18In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, the headbands, the crescent necklaces, 19the earrings, the bracelets, the veils, 20the headdresses, the ankle chains, the sashes, the perfume containers, the charms, 21the signet rings, the nose rings, 22the fine robes, the capes, the cloaks, the purses, 23the hand mirrors, the fine linen garments, the tiaras, and the shawls.
24It shall happen that instead of sweet spices, there shall be rottenness;
instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of well set hair, baldness;
instead of a robe, a wearing of sackcloth;
and branding instead of beauty.
25Your men shall fall by the sword,
and your mighty in the war.
26Her gates shall lament and mourn.
She shall be desolate and sit on the ground.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is classified as part of the "wisdom literature" of the ancient Hebrews. This genre may be said to encompass all literary writings current in ancient Mesopotamia (as well as in the neighboring lands of the Near East, including Egypt) whose content is concerned, in one way or another, with life and nature, and with man's evaluation of them, based either on direct observation or insight. Helpful to a determination of the usage of the term "Wisdom Literature” is an understanding of the root hkm, which underlies the basic expression of "wisdom" in Hebrew and its cognate languages. The root hkm in Akkadian has the meaning of "clever, cunning" as well as "wise" when applied to kings, elders, scribes, diviners, and especially craftsmen and technicians. The notion of skillful "making" gave rise to various adjectives meaning "experienced, able." The force of the term "wisdom" in Akkadian, therefore, was upon a skill or experience that brought expertise or enablement in an endeavor. In Biblical Hebrew, this same basic nuance of "skill" is evident in all derivatives of hkm. For example, the term is used of the special ability of "artisans" in Exod 28:3; 31:1-11; 35:30, 35; 36:1-3, of the technical expertise of "stonemasons" in 1 Chr 22:15, of the trained ability of "goldsmiths" in Jer 10:9, of the experienced competence of "mariners" in Ps 107:27, of the craftsmanship of "ship builders" in Ezek 27:8-9, of the artistry of "artificers" in 1 Kings 7:14, and of the wizardry (unusual art) of magicians in Isa 3:3. It also is employed to denote the peculiar prowess enabling the heads of tribes, judges, and kings to perform either special or official tasks (cf. Deut 1:13,15; 16:19; 2 Sam 14:20). Of the 318 uses of the root hkm in the Tanach, 196 instances appear in Wisdom Literature (i.e. Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and some Psalms). In these contexts it bears an ethical/moral nuance, for just as in the secular realm it had been applied to technical skill, so here it is applied to the ability to cope with life in general. Scott in his study of the term in the Wisdom writings concluded: "thus “wisdom” (Hebrew hokmah) gained the sense of 'skill in living,' the trained ability to live in equilibrium with the moral order of the world." The Israelites viewed the world as an ordered system (under the control of G-d, cf. Job 1:21; 42:1-2; Prov 16:1-4; 21:1; Eccl 3:1-8; 5:18-19; 12:14), and the responsibility of wisdom was the instruction of men in the practical affairs of life in such a system. This wisdom is, however, neither simply utilitarian or amoral, but linked inseparably with the concepts of "righteousness" and “the fear of the LORD" (Prov 9:9-10). Therefore, for the Israelite, "wisdom" and the literature that develops a “skill in living life” is related to God's righteous order that has been established ultimately for man's good. As part of this genre, Ecclesiastes was designed as a means of training youth in the often unequal and contradictory experiences of life in this world while reminding them of the godly values and virtues that order the world (Eccl 3:11-12; 8:11-12). Understanding these “facts of life” (Eccl 8:17; 10:2; 11:5) and how to maintain “spiritual balance” throughout the tests of life (Eccl 11:9-10; 12:1, 6, 14) is the product of “wisdom.”