So I tried to understand wisdom more completely. I wanted to study it and figure it out. I tried to find out everything I could about it. I tried to understand why it’s foolish to be evil. I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.

我转念，一心要知道，要考察，要寻求智慧和万事的理由；又要知道邪恶为愚昧，愚昧为狂妄。

我转念，一心要知道，要考察，要寻求智慧和万事的来由，要知道邪恶为愚昧，愚昧为狂妄。

我转念，一心要知道，要考察，要寻求智慧和万事的来由，要知道邪恶为愚昧，愚昧为狂妄。

我用心去认识、探究、追寻智慧和事物的原委，并去认识邪恶带来的愚昧和无知带来的狂妄。

我转念，一心去了解、考察并寻觅智慧和事理，又要知道愚蒙是邪恶的，狂妄是愚昧的。

我转去用心了解、探察、寻求智慧和事理，为要明白邪恶是愚昧的、愚昧是狂妄的。

我轉念，一心要知道，要考察，要尋求智慧和萬事的理由；又要知道邪惡為愚昧，愚昧為狂妄。

我轉念，一心要知道，要考察，要尋求智慧和萬事的來由，要知道邪惡為愚昧，愚昧為狂妄。

我轉念，一心要知道，要考察，要尋求智慧和萬事的來由，要知道邪惡為愚昧，愚昧為狂妄。

我用心去認識、探究、追尋智慧和事物的原委，並去認識邪惡帶來的愚昧和無知帶來的狂妄。

我轉念，一心去了解、考察並尋覓智慧和事理，又要知道愚蒙是邪惡的，狂妄是愚昧的。

我心裏轉來轉去要知道、要窺探、要尋求智慧和萬事的總和，要知道邪惡是愚頑，愚昧是狂妄。

我轉去用心了解、探察、尋求智慧和事理，為要明白邪惡是愚昧的、愚昧是狂妄的。

我轉而決志究察智慧、與萬事之原由、欲知惡之為愚、愚之為妄、

我盡心求道、欲知事理之所以、亦欲知愚昧之不善、

我轉而思之、專心欲得知識、欲究萬事、欲求智慧明哲、且欲知何為惡、何為愚、何為拙、何為狂、且欲知何為惡何為愚何為拙何為狂或作且欲知惡之為愚拙之為狂

So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

I directed my mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity.

I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness.

I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason[ of things], and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness[ and] madness:

I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

At first what they say is foolish. In the end their words are very evil.

I thought about all these things. I realized that those who are wise and do what is right are under God’s control. What they do is also under his control. But no one knows whether they will be loved or hated.Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. It comes to good and bad people alike. It comes to“ clean” and“ unclean” people alike. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don’t offer them also die. A good person dies, and so does a sinner. Those who make promises die. So do those who are afraid to make them.Here’s what is so bad about everything that happens on this earth. Death catches up with all of us. Also, the hearts of people are full of evil. They live in foolish pleasure. After that, they join those who have already died.

“ Look,” says the Teacher.“ Here’s what I’ve discovered.“ I added one thing to another to find out everything I could about wisdom.

These teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The God who will destroy them has not been sleeping.God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He chained them up in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them.God did not spare the world’s ungodly people long ago. He brought the flood on them. But Noah preached about the right way to live. God kept him safe. He also saved seven others.God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He burned them to ashes. He made them an example of what is going to happen to ungodly people.God saved Lot, a man who did what was right. Lot was shocked by the evil conduct of people who didn’t obey God’s laws.That good man lived among them day after day. He saw and heard the evil things they were doing. They were breaking God’s laws. And the godly spirit of Lot was deeply troubled.Since all this is true, then the Lord knows how to save godly people. He knows how to keep them safe in times of testing. The Lord also knows how to keep ungodly people under guard. He will do so until the day they will be judged and punished.

So I began to lose hope because of all my hard work on this earth.

I decided to think about wisdom. I also thought about foolish pleasure. What more can a new king do? Can he do anything more than others have already done?

I decided to study things carefully. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on human beings!I’ve seen what is done on this earth. All of it is meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.People can’t straighten things that are crooked. They can’t count things that don’t even exist.I said to myself,“ Look, I’ve now grown wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge.”Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.

I said to myself,“ Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless.“ Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said.“ And what can pleasure do for me?”I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in a foolish way. But wisdom was still guiding my mind. I wanted to see what was good for people to do on earth during their short lives.

Lord, when I bring a matter to you, you always do what is right. But now I would like to speak with you about whether you are being fair. Why are sinful people successful? Why do those who can’t be trusted have an easy life?You have planted them. Their roots are deep in the ground. They grow and produce fruit. They honor you by what they say. But their hearts are far away from you.

“ Go and set the people apart. Tell them,‘ Make yourselves pure. Get ready for tomorrow. Here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, wants you to do. He says,“ People of Israel, you have kept some of the things that had been set apart to me to be destroyed. You can’t stand up against your enemies until you get rid of those things.”

It is better to meet a bear whose cubs have been stolen than to meet a foolish person who is acting foolishly.

Here’s something else I saw on earth. Where people should be treated right, they are treated wrong. Where people should be treated fairly, they are treated unfairly.I said to myself,“ God will judge godly and sinful people alike. He has a time for every act. He has a time to judge everything that is done.”

Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and very angry. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob’s daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.

“ No, my brother!” she said to him.“ Don’t force me! An evil thing like that should never be done in Israel! Don’t do it!

Foolish people who do the same foolish things again are like a dog that returns to where it has thrown up.

Most of all, here is what you must understand. In the last days people will make fun of the truth. They will laugh at it. They will follow their own evil desires.They will say,“ Where is this‘ return’ he promised? Everything goes on in the same way it has since our people of long ago died. In fact, it has continued this way since God first created everything.”Long ago, God’s word brought the heavens into being. His word separated the earth from the waters. And the waters surrounded it. But these people forget things like that on purpose.The waters also flooded the world of that time. And so they destroyed the world.By God’s word the heavens and earth of today are being reserved for fire. They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people will be destroyed.Dear friends, here is one thing you must not forget. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like a day.The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. Instead, he is patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins.

Then I said to myself,“ What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too. So what do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself,“ That doesn’t have any meaning either.”