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Ecclesiastes 7
King James Version

7 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?

17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:

22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?

25 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:

26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

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Ecclesiastes 7
New International Version

Wisdom

7 A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(C) is the destiny(D) of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
3 Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
5 It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(I) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
    and a bribe(J) corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience(K) is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked(L) in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.(M)

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(N) better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(O)
    and benefits those who see the sun.(P)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
    as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
    Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done:(Q)

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?(R)
14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(S)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life(T) of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(U)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time?(V)
18 It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God(W) will avoid all extremes.[a]

19 Wisdom(X) makes one wise person more powerful(Y)
    than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(Z)
    no one who does what is right and never sins.(AA)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you(AB) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(AC)—
    but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
    who can discover it?(AD)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
    to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(AE)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
    and the madness of folly.(AF)

26 I find more bitter than death
    the woman who is a snare,(AG)
whose heart is a trap
    and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
    but the sinner she will ensnare.(AH)

27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[b](AI) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28     while I was still searching
    but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
    but not one upright woman(AJ) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
    God created mankind upright,
    but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
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Ecclesiastes 7
English Standard Version

The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly

7 (A)A good name is better than precious ointment,
    and (B)the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
    and the living will (C)lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
    (D)for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is (E)better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
    than to hear the song of fools.
6 (F)For as the crackling of (G)thorns under a pot,
    so is the laughter of the fools;
    this also is vanity.[a]
7 Surely (H)oppression drives the wise into madness,
    and (I)a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
    and (J)the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 (K)Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
    (L)for anger lodges in the heart[b] of fools.
10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
    For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
    an advantage to those who (M)see the sun.
12 For the protection of wisdom is like (N)the protection of money,
    and the advantage of knowledge is that (O)wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Consider (P)the work of God:
    (Q)who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 (R)In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, (S)so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my (T)vain[c] life I have seen everything. There is (U)a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who (V)prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not (W)make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. (X)Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of (Y)this, and from (Z)that (AA)withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

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

20 Surely (AC)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 (AD)your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that (AE)many times you yourself have cursed others.

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

25 (AI)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 (AJ)bitter than death: (AK)the woman whose heart is (AL)snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but (AM)the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says (AN)the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. (AO)One man among a thousand I found, but (AP)a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that (AQ)God made man upright, but (AR)they have sought out many schemes.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:6 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Hebrew in the bosom
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:15 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
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Ecclesiastes 7
Christian Standard Bible

Wise Sayings

7 A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.(B)
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
since that is the end of all mankind,
and the living should take it to heart.(C)
3 Grief is better than laughter,
for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.(D)
4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools,(E)
6 for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot,(F)
so is the laughter of the fool.
This too is futile.
7 Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,(G)
and a bribe corrupts the mind.(H)
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.(I)
9 Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry,
for anger abides in the heart of fools.(J)
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?”(K)
since it is not wise of you to ask this.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance
and an advantage to those who see the sun,
12 because wisdom is protection as silver is protection;
but the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.(L)
13 Consider the work of God,(M)
for who can straighten out
what he has made crooked?(N)

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,(O) but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other,(P) so that no one can discover anything that will come after him.

Avoiding Extremes

15 In my futile life[a] I have seen everything:(Q) someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness,(R) and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil.(S) 16 Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise.(T) Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time?(U) 18 It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

19 Wisdom makes the wise person stronger
than ten rulers of a city.(V)
20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth
who does good and never sins.(W)

21 Don’t pay attention[b] to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,(X) 22 for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.

What the Teacher Found

23 I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. 24 What exists is beyond reach and very deep.(Y) Who can discover it? 25 I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom(Z) and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death(AA) the woman who is a trap:(AB) her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28 which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman.(AC) 29 Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright,(AD) but they pursued many schemes.”

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Footnotes

  1. 7:15 Lit days
  2. 7:21 Lit Don’t give your heart
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Ecclesiastes 7
New American Standard Bible 1995

Wisdom and Folly Contrasted

7 A (A)good name is better than a good ointment,
And the (B)day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because [a]that is the (C)end of every man,
And the living [b](D)takes it to [c]heart.
3 (E)Sorrow is better than laughter,
For (F)when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4 The [d]mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the [e]mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to (G)listen to the rebuke of a wise man
Than for one to listen to the song of fools.
6 For as the [f]crackling of (H)thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the (I)laughter of the fool;
And this too is futility.
7 For (J)oppression makes a wise man mad,
And a (K)bribe [g]corrupts the heart.
8 The (L)end of a matter is better than its beginning;
(M)Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
9 Do not be [h](N)eager in your heart to be angry,
For anger resides in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good
And an (O)advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For (P)wisdom is [i]protection just as money is [j]protection,
But the advantage of knowledge is that (Q)wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.
13 Consider the (R)work of God,
For who is (S)able to straighten what He has bent?
14 (T)In the day of prosperity be happy,
But (U)in the day of adversity consider—
God has made the one as well as the other
So that man will (V)not discover anything that will be after him.

15 I have seen everything during my [k](W)lifetime of futility; there is (X)a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is (Y)a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. 16 Do not be excessively (Z)righteous and do not (AA)be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you (AB)die before your time? 18 It is good that you grasp one thing and also not [l]let go of the other; for the one who (AC)fears God comes forth with [m]both of them.

19 (AD)Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Indeed, (AE)there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. 21 Also, do not [n]take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant (AF)cursing you. 22 For [o]you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.

23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” (AG)but it was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and (AH)exceedingly [p]mysterious. (AI)Who can discover it? 25 I [q](AJ)directed my [r]mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness. 26 And I discovered more (AK)bitter than death the woman whose heart is (AL)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. (AM)One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but (AN)the sinner will be captured by her.

27 “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, 28 which [s]I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a (AO)woman among all these. 29 Behold, I have found only this, that (AP)God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:2 I.e. death
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit gives
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit his heart
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:4 Lit heart
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:4 Lit heart
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:6 Lit voice
  7. Ecclesiastes 7:7 Lit destroys
  8. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit hasty in your spirit
  9. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
  10. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
  11. Ecclesiastes 7:15 Lit days
  12. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit rest your hand
  13. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit all
  14. Ecclesiastes 7:21 Lit give your heart to
  15. Ecclesiastes 7:22 Lit your heart knows also
  16. Ecclesiastes 7:24 Lit deep
  17. Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit turned about
  18. Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit heart
  19. Ecclesiastes 7:28 Lit my soul still seeks
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