Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The wise man's eyes {are} in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

For I was envious at the foolish, {when} I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in {his} wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger {from his right}, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. {oppress: or, defraud}

This {is} one {thing}, therefore I said {it}, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, {they that} tempt God are even delivered. {are set up: Heb. are built}

{It is} better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that {is} the end of all men; and the living will lay {it} to his heart.

And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice {told}, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

And the men said unto her, We {will be} blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his {days} be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these {things}, he shall not escape.

Then said he unto me, This {is} the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off {as} on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off {as} on that side according to it. {every one that stealeth...: or, every one of this people that stealeth holdeth himself guiltless, as it doth}

For {God} giveth to a man that {is} good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to {him that is} good before God. This also {is} vanity and vexation of spirit. {in his...: Heb. before him}

{It is} good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

If they obey and serve {him}, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I {am} against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

While he {was} yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters {were} eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

This {is} an evil among all {things} that are done under the sun, that {there is} one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness {is} in their heart while they live, and after that {they go} to the dead.

And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

For, {as} the LORD liveth, which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But {there was} not a man among all the people {that} answered him.