¹Bolji je dobar glas nego skupocjeno ulje, i smrtni dan nego dan rođenja.

¹A [good] name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

²Bolje je ići u kuću gdje je žalost nego u kuću gdje je gozba, jer ondje je kraj svakoga čovjeka, i tko je živ, nek' primi k srcu!

²It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: in that that is the end of all men, and the living taketh it to heart.

³Bolji je jad nego smijeh, jer pod žalosnim licem srce je radosno.

³Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

⁴Srce je mudrih ljudi u kući žalosti, a srce bezumnih u kući veselja.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth.

⁵Bolje je poslušati ukor mudra čovjeka negoli slušati hvalospjev luđaka.

⁵It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.

⁶Jer kao prasak trnja ispod kotla, takav je smijeh luđaka, i to je ispraznost.

⁶For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

⁷Jer smijeh od mudraca čini luđaka i veselje kvari srce.

⁷Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.

⁸Bolji je svršetak stvari nego njezin početak i bolja je strpljivost od oholosti.

⁸Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a proud spirit.

⁹Ne nagli u srdžbu, jer srdžba počiva u srcu luđaka.

⁹Be not hasty in thy spirit to be vexed; for vexation resteth in the bosom of fools.

¹⁰Ne pitaj zašto su negdašnja vremena bila bolja od ovih, jer to nije mudro pitanje.

¹⁰Say not, How is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

¹¹Mudrost je dragocjena baština i probitak onima na koje sunce sja.

¹¹Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun.

¹²Jer kao što je novac zaštita, tako je i mudrost; a prednost je mudrosti u tome što izbavlja onoga tko je ima.

¹²For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.

¹³Pogledaj djela Božja; tko može ispraviti što je on iskrivio?

¹³Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?

¹⁴U sretan dan uživaj sreću, a u zao dan razmišljaj: Bog je stvorio jedno kao i drugo - da čovjek ne otkrije ništa od svoje budućnosti.

¹⁴In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.

¹⁵Svašta vidjeh u svojemu ništavnom životu: pravednik propada unatoč svojoj pravednosti, a bezbožnik i dalje živi unatoč svojoj bezbožnosti.

¹⁵All [this] have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous [man] that perisheth by his righteousness, and there is a wicked [man] that prolongeth [his days] by his wickedness.

¹⁶Ne budi prepravedan i ne budi premudar; zašto da se uništavaš?

¹⁶Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

¹⁷Ne budi preopak i ne budi lud; zašto bi umro prije vremena?

¹⁷Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

¹⁸Dobro je da držiš jedno, ali ni drugo ne puštaj iz ruke, jer tko se boji Boga, izbavlja se od svega.

¹⁸It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God cometh forth from them all.

¹⁹Mudrost mudraca veću moć daje gradu nego deset mogućnika.

¹⁹Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty [men] that are in a city.

²⁰Na zemlji nema pravednika koji, čineći dobro, ne bi nikad sagriješio.

²⁰Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.

²¹I još jedno: nemoj se obazirati na govorkanje; čut ćeš možda da te sluga tvoj proklinjao;

²¹Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.

²²a zna tvoje srce kako si i ti često druge proklinjao.

²²For also thine own heart knoweth that oftentimes thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

²³Sve sam to mudrošću iskušao. Mislio sam da sam mudar, ali mi je mudrost bila nedokučiva.

²³All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

²⁴Ono što jest, daleko je i duboko, tako duboko - tko da i pronađe?

²⁴Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?

²⁵I još jednom pokušah istražiti i shvatiti mudrost i smisao, da spoznam opačinu kao ludost, a ludost kao bezumlje.

²⁵I turned, I and my heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom and reason, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;

²⁶Otkrih da ima nešto gorče od smrti - žena, ona je zamka, srce joj je mreža, a ruke okovi; tko je Bogu drag, izmiče joj, a grešnik je njezin sužanj.

²⁶and I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is nets and snares, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.

²⁷Eto, to sam sve u svemu otkrio, veli Propovjednik.

²⁷See this which I have found, saith the Preacher, [searching] one by one to find out the reason;

²⁸I još sam tražio, ali bez uspjeha. Nađoh čovjeka - jednog od tisuću, a žene ne nađoh među svima nijedne.

²⁸which my soul yet seeketh, and I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.

²⁹Otkrih ovo: Bog stvori čovjeka jednostavnim, a on snuje nebrojene spletke.

²⁹Only see this which I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices.