1The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses.
He turns it wherever he desires.
2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but Yahweh weighs the hearts.
3To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.
4A high look and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, is sin.
5The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit;
and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.
6Getting treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
7The violence of the wicked will drive them away,
because they refuse to do what is right.
8The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop
than to share a house with a contentious woman.
10The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom.
When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked,
and brings the wicked to ruin.
13Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor,
he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
14A gift in secret pacifies anger,
and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
15It is joy to the righteous to do justice;
but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
16The man who wanders out of the way of understanding
shall rest in the assembly of the departed spirits.
17He who loves pleasure will be a poor man.
He who loves wine and oil won’t be rich.
18The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
the treacherous for the upright.
19It is better to dwell in a desert land,
than with a contentious and fretful woman.
20There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
but a foolish man swallows it up.
21He who follows after righteousness and kindness
finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22A wise man scales the city of the mighty,
and brings down the strength of its confidence.
23Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps his soul from troubles.
24The proud and arrogant man—“Scoffer” is his name—
he works in the arrogance of pride.
25The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26There are those who covet greedily all day long;
but the righteous give and don’t withhold.
27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination—
how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!
28A false witness will perish.
A man who listens speaks to eternity.
29A wicked man hardens his face;
but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.
30There is no wisdom nor understanding
nor counsel against Yahweh.
31The horse is prepared for the day of battle;
but victory is with Yahweh.
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.”