Ecclesiastes 7:16-26

English Standard Version

¹⁶ Be not overly righteous, and do not ^(A)make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? ¹⁷ Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. ^(B)Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸ It is good that you should take hold of ^(C)this, and from ^(D)that ^(E)withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

^19 (F)Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

²⁰ Surely ^(G)there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

²¹ Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear ^(H)your servant cursing you. ²² Your heart knows that ^(I)many times you yourself have cursed others.

²³ All this I have tested by wisdom. ^(J)I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. ²⁴ That which has been is far off, and ^(K)deep, very deep; ^(L)who can find it out?

^25 (M)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. ²⁶ And I find something more ^(N)bitter than death: ^(O)the woman whose heart is ^(P)snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but ^(Q)the sinner is taken by her.