Ecclesiastes 7:23-29
English Standard Version
23 All this I have tested by wisdom. (A)I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and (B)deep, very deep; (C)who can find it out?
25 (D)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 (E)bitter than death: (F)the woman whose heart is (G)snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but (H)the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says (I)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. (J)One man among a thousand I found, but (K)a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that (L)God made man upright, but (M)they have sought out many schemes.
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Ecclesiastes 7:23-29
New International Version
23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”(A)—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?(B)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(C)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.(D)
26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,(E)
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.(F)
27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[a](G) “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(H) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
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