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40:1  Hard work was created for every person, and a heavy yoke lies upon human beings, from the day when they leave their mother’s womb until the day when they return to the mother of all.
40:2  Anxious expectation—the day of death— fills their inner musings and plants fear in their hearts.
40:3  From the person who sits upon a glorious throne down to the person brought low in dust and ashes,
40:4  from the person who wears purple and a crown down to the person dressed in rough linen—
40:5  there exists anger, envy, confusion, unrest, fear of death, fury, and conflict. Even when they rest in bed, nighttime dreams disturb their mind.
40:6  They get little or no rest; they even toil in their dreams, just as they do in the day, being troubled by images in their mind, as one who escapes from war.
40:7  They wake up at the most desperate moment and are astonished that they were afraid for nothing.
40:8  To all flesh, both human and animal, but to sinners seven times more so,
40:9  come death, blood, strife, sword, catastrophes, famine, ruin, and disease.
40:10  All these things were created for the lawless, and because of such people the flood happened.
40:11  Everything that’s from earth; returns to the earth; everything that’s from water returns to the sea.
40:12  All bribery and injustice will be wiped out, but good faith will last forever.
40:13  The money of the unjust will dry up like a river, and it will crash like loud thunder in a rainstorm.
40:14  Generous people will rejoice, but those who sin will ultimately fail.
40:15  The offspring of the ungodly won’t produce many branches, and they are polluted roots on sheer rock.
40:16  A reed by any water or riverbank will be pulled up before any grass.
40:17  Kindness is like an orchard of blessings, and an act of charity will last forever.
40:18  Life will be sweet for the self-reliant and the hardworking, but better than both is the person who finds a treasure.
40:19  Children and building a city establish one’s name, but better than both is a wife who is considered blameless.
40:20  Wine and music make the heart glad, but better than both is the love of wisdom.
40:21  A flute and a harp make sweet melodies, but better than both is a pleasant voice.
40:22  The eye will desire grace and beauty, but better than both are the first shoots of a crop.
40:23  A friend and a companion encounter each other at an opportune moment, but better than both is a woman with her husband.
40:24  Relatives and help in a time of distress are good, but acts of charity will rescue one better than both.
40:25  Gold and silver make one stand firm, but more highly esteemed than both is good advice.
40:26  Money and strength will lift up one’s heart, but fearing the Lord is better than both. If you fear the Lord, you’ll lack nothing; if you have it, there’s no reason to look for help.
40:27  Fear of the Lord is like an orchard of blessing, and it covers a person more fully than any glory.
40:28  My child, don’t live the life of a beggar; it’s better to die than to beg.
40:29  When people look to another person’s table, their way of life cannot be considered a life. They pollute themselves by eating someone else’s food, but a person who is intelligent and educated will guard against that.
40:30  In the mouth of the shameless, begging is sweet, but a fire will burn inside of them.