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40:1  Strenuous labor is the lot of everyone, and a heavy yoke has been laid on the children of Adam, from the day when one emerges from his mother’s womb until the day when he returns to the earth, the mother of all the living.
40:2  Matter for his reflection and anxiety for his heart are offered by the thought of what awaits him and the day of death.
40:3  Whether he sits in splendor on a throne or grovels in dust and ashes,
40:4  whether he wears the purple and a crown or is clothed in burlap,
40:5  his life is filled with anger and envy, trouble and unrest, fear of death, fury and strife. Even when he goes to bed at night, his sleep is disturbed by confusion and worry.
40:6  He receives little if any rest, struggling while he dreams as he does when he is awake. Terrified by nightmares, he is like someone who has fled from the battlefield.
40:7  Just as he reaches safety, he wakes up, astonished to realize that his fears were groundless.
40:8  To all flesh, human and animal— but to sinners seven times more—
40:9  come death and bloodshed, strife and sword, disasters and famine, affliction and plague.
40:10  All these calamities were created for the wicked, and the flood came because of them.
40:11  All that is of the earth returns to the earth, and all that is from the waters returns to the sea.
40:12  All bribery and injustice will be blotted out, but good faith will stand forever.
40:13  That wealth whose source is wickedness will dry up like a river and vanish as quickly as a clap of thunder during a storm.
40:14  As the righteous man rejoices in opening his hands, so transgressors will come to ruin.
40:15  The children of the godless put forth very few branches, for tainted roots are planted only on sheer rock.
40:16  They are like reeds along the riverbank that are plucked before any other plants.
40:17  However, goodness is a paradise of blessings.
40:18  Wealth and wages make life sweet, but better than either is finding a treasure.
40:19  Children and the founding of a city will preserve one’s name, but better than either is finding wisdom. Cattle and orchards make a man well known, but better than either is a perfect wife.
40:20  Wine and music gladden the heart, but better than either is the love of wisdom.
40:21  The flute and the harp make sweet melody, but better than either is a pleasant voice.
40:22  The eye delights to gaze upon grace and beauty, but better than either are the green shoots in a cornfield.
40:23  A friend and a companion are encountered in good time, but better than either is a sensible wife.
40:24  A brother and a helper are cherished in times of stress, but better than either is the aid provided by almsgiving.
40:25  Gold and silver make one’s way secure, but better than either is sound advice.
40:26  Riches and vigor build up self-confidence, but better than either is fear of God. With the fear of the Lord, nothing is lacking; whoever has it does not need to seek any further help.
40:27  The fear of God is a paradise of blessings and offers greater protection than any possible glory able to be achieved.
40:28  My child, do not lead the life of a beggar; it is better to die than to beg.
40:29  When you start to eye someone else’s table, your life truly is not worth calling a life. The gullet is defiled with the food of strangers; anyone who is wise and well-instructed will guard against doing that.
40:30  In the mouth of the shameless, begging is sweet, but inside him the fires of resentment burn.