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智愚之别

名誉强如美好的膏油,
人死去的日子胜过他出生的日子。
往丧家去,
强如往宴乐的家,
因为死是众人的结局,
活人必将这事放在心上。
忧愁强如喜笑,
因为面带愁容,终必使心喜乐。
智慧人的心在遭丧之家;
愚昧人的心在快乐之家。
听智慧人的责备,
强如听愚昧人歌唱;
因为愚昧人的笑声,
好像锅子下面烧荆棘的爆声,
这也是虚空。
勒索使智慧人变为愚妄,
贿赂能败坏人的心。
事情的终局强如它的起头;
存心忍耐的,胜过居心骄傲的。
你的心不要急躁恼怒,
因为恼怒存在愚昧人的怀中。
10 不要说:
为什么先前的日子强过现今的日子呢?
你这样问不是出于智慧。
11 智慧加上产业是美好的,
对见天日的人都有益处。
12 因为智慧庇护人,
好像金钱庇护人一样;
智慧能保全智慧者的生命,
这就是知识的益处。
13 你要观看 神的作为,
谁能使他所弯曲的变直呢?

14 顺利时要喜乐;患难时当思考。 神使这两样都发生,因此,人不知将会发生什么事。

15 在虚度的日子里,我见过各样的事情,义人在他的义中灭亡,恶人在他的恶中倒享长寿。 16 不要行义过分,也不要过于自逞智慧,何必自取败亡呢? 17 不要行恶过分,也不要为人愚昧,何必未到期而死呢? 18 你持守这个,那个也不要松手才好。敬畏 神的人,这一切都能兼得。

19 智慧使拥有智慧的人比城中十个官长更有能力。

20 其实世上没有行善而不犯罪的义人。

21 人所说的话,你不要都放在心上,免得听见你的仆人诅咒你。 22 因为你心里知道,自己也曾屡次诅咒别人。

23 我曾用智慧试验这一切事,我说:“要得智慧。”智慧却离我远。 24 万事之理遥不可及,太深奥,谁能测透呢? 25 我转念,一心要知道,要考察,要寻求智慧和万事的来由,要知道邪恶为愚昧,愚昧为狂妄。

26 我发现有一种妇人比死还苦毒:她本身是陷阱,她的心是罗网,手是锁链。凡蒙 神喜爱的人必能躲开她;有罪的人却被她缠住了。 27 传道者说:“你看,我考察一件又一件,为要寻求万事的来由,这是我所寻得的: 28 我继续寻找,却未找到;一千当中,我找到一个男的,但在这一切当中,却找不到一个女的。 29 你看,我所找到的只有一件,就是 神造的人是正直的,但他们却寻出许多诡计。”

Wisdom

A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
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.
Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(I) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

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

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience(K) is better than pride.
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.”

Footnotes

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

The Value of Practical Wisdom

A (A)good name is better than precious ointment,
And the day of death than the day of one’s (B)birth;
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 take it to (C)heart.
[a]Sorrow is better than laughter,
(D)For by a sad countenance the heart is made [b]better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

(E)It is better to [c]hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
(F)For like the [d]crackling of thorns under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity.
Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,
(G)And a bribe [e]debases the heart.

The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
(H)The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
(I)Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
And profitable (J)to those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is [f]a (K)defense as money is a defense,
But the [g]excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives (L)life to those who have it.

13 Consider the work of God;
For (M)who can make straight what He has made crooked?
14 (N)In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one [h]as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity:

(O)There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,
And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.

16 (P)Do not be overly righteous,
(Q)Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overly wicked,
Nor be foolish:
(R)Why should you die before your time?
18 It is good that you grasp this,
And also not remove your hand from the other;
For he who (S)fears God will [i]escape them all.

19 (T)Wisdom strengthens the wise
More than ten rulers of the city.

20 (U)For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin.

21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others.

23 All this I have [j]proved by wisdom.
(V)I said, “I will be wise”;
But it was far from me.
24 (W)As for that which is far off and (X)exceedingly deep,
Who can find it out?
25 (Y)I applied my heart to know,
To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things,
To know the wickedness of folly,
Even of foolishness and madness.
26 (Z)And I find more bitter than death
The woman whose heart is snares and nets,
Whose hands are fetters.
[k]He who pleases God shall escape from her,
But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

27 “Here is what I have found,” says (AA)the Preacher,
Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,
28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find:
(AB)One man among a thousand I have found,
But a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Truly, this only I have found:
(AC)That God made man upright,
But (AD)they have sought out many schemes.”

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:3 Vexation or Grief
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:3 well or pleasing
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:5 listen to
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:6 Lit. sound
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:7 destroys
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:12 A protective shade, lit. shadow
  7. Ecclesiastes 7:12 advantage or profit
  8. Ecclesiastes 7:14 alongside
  9. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit. come forth from all of them
  10. Ecclesiastes 7:23 tested
  11. Ecclesiastes 7:26 Lit. He who is good before God