14:1 Happy the man whose mouth brings him no grief, who is not stung by remorse for sin.
14:2 Happy the man whose conscience does not reproach him, who has not lost hope.
14:3 Wealth ill becomes the mean man; and to the miser, of what use is gold?
14:4 What he denies himself he collects for others, and in his possessions a stranger will revel.
14:5 To whom will he be generous who is stingy with himself and does not enjoy what is his own?
14:6 None is more stingy than he who is stingy with himself; he punishes his own miserliness.
14:7 If ever he is generous, it is by mistake; and in the end he displays his greed.
14:8 In the miser’s opinion his share is too small;
14:9 he refuses his neighbor and brings ruin on himself.
14:10 The miser’s eye is rapacious for bread, but on his own table he sets it stale.
14:11 My son, use freely whatever you have and enjoy it as best you can;
14:12 Remember that death does not tarry, nor have you been told the grave’s appointed time.
14:13 Before you die, be good to your friend, and give him a share in what you possess.
14:14 Deprive not yourself of present good things, let no choice portion escape you.
14:15 Will you not leave your riches to others, and your earnings to be divided by lot?
14:16 Give, take, and treat yourself well, for in the nether world there are no joys to seek.
14:17 All flesh grows old, like a garment; the age-old law is: All must die.
14:18 As with the leaves that grow on a vigorous tree: one falls off and another sprouts ? So with the generations of flesh and blood: one dies and another is born.NAB-CREF: Eccl 1:4
14:19 All man’s works will perish in decay, and his handiwork will follow after him.
14:20 Happy the man who meditates on wisdom, and reflects on knowledge;
14:21 Who ponders her ways in his heart, and understands her paths;
14:22 Who pursues her like a scout, and lies in wait at her entry way;
14:23 Who peeps through her windows, and listens at her doors;
14:24 Who encamps near her house, and fastens his tent pegs next to her walls;
14:25 Who pitches his tent beside her, and lives as her welcome neighbor;
14:26 Who builds his nest in her leafage, and lodges in her branches;
14:27 Who takes shelter with her from the heat, and dwells in her home.