21 Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you,
22 and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.
23 I used my wisdom to test all of this. I was determined to be wise, but it was beyond me.
24 How can anyone discover what life means? It is too deep for us, too hard to understand.
25 But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.
26 I found something more bitter than death—the woman who is like a trap. The love she offers you will catch you like a net, and her arms around you will hold you like a chain. A man who pleases God can get away, but she will catch the sinner.
27 Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers.