Human beings are all like a puff of breath; great and small alike are worthless. Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath.

Don't put your trust in violence; don't hope to gain anything by robbery; even if your riches increase, don't depend on them.

I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you.

This is something a fool cannot know; someone who is stupid cannot understand:

I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals.

They say they are wise, but they are fools;

You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?

(SEE 5:12)

(SEE 12:1)

But I have as much sense as you have; I am in no way inferior to you; everyone knows all that you have said.

God said to us humans, "To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil."

I am more like an animal than a human being; I do not have the sense we humans should have.

Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge? Have any ever caught the wind in their hands? Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth? Or fixed the boundaries of the earth? Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?

Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.

You should not fool yourself. If any of you think that you are wise by this world's standards, you should become a fool, in order to be really wise.

and another scripture says, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless."

Are there any of you who are wise and understanding? You are to prove it by your good life, by your good deeds performed with humility and wisdom.

Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

Can any human being be really pure? Can anyone be right with God?

I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

A donkey is content when eating grass, and a cow is quiet when eating hay.

Who gave the wild donkeys their freedom? Who turned them loose and let them roam?

They keep far away from the noisy cities, and no one can tame them and make them work.

rushing into the desert. When she is in heat, who can control her? No male that wants her has to trouble himself; she is always available in mating season.