Ecclesiastes 7
Legacy Standard Bible
Wisdom and Folly Contrasted
7 Better is a (A)good name than good oil,
And better is the (B)day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth.
2 Better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting
Because [a]that is the (C)end of all mankind,
And the living (D)puts this in his heart.
3 (E)Better is vexation than laughter,
For (F)when a face is sad a heart may be merry.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the heart of fools is in the house of gladness.
5 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 crackling sound of (H)thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the (I)laughter of the fool;
And this too is vanity.
7 For (J)oppression gives a wise man over to madness,
And a (K)bribe [b]destroys the heart.
8 Better is the (L)end of a matter than its beginning;
(M)Better is patience of spirit than haughtiness of spirit.
9 Do not be [c](N)eager in your spirit to be vexed,
For vexation rests 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 a (Q)shadow of protection as money is a shadow of protection,
And the advantage of knowledge is that (R)wisdom preserves the lives of its masters.
13 See the (S)work of God,
For who is (T)able to straighten what He has bent?
14 (U)In the day when there is good be of good cheer,
But (V)in the day when there is evil see—
God has made the one as well as the other
So that man will (W)not find out anything that will be after him.
15 I have seen everything during my (X)days of vanity; there is (Y)a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is (Z)a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Do not be excessively (AA)righteous, and do not (AB)be overly wise. Why should you make yourself desolate? 17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a simpleminded fool. Why should you (AC)die before your time? 18 It is good that you seize one thing and also not [d]let go of the other; for the one who (AD)fears God comes forth with [e]both of them.
19 (AE)Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten men with power who are in a city. 20 Indeed, (AF)there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. 21 Also, do not give your heart to all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your slave (AG)cursing you. 22 For your heart also knows that you likewise have many times cursed others.
23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” (AH)but it was far from me. 24 What has been is far away and (AI)exceedingly deep. (AJ)Who can find it? 25 I (AK)turned my heart to know, to explore, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the wickedness of foolishness and the simpleminded folly of madness. 26 And I found more (AL)bitter than death the woman whose heart is (AM)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. (AN)One who is good before God will escape from her, but (AO)the sinner will be captured by her.
27 “See, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, 28 which my soul still seeks but has not found. I have found one man out of a thousand, but I have not found a (AP)woman among all these. 29 See, I have found only this, that (AQ)God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:2 Death
- Ecclesiastes 7:7 Lit perishes
- Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit hasty in your spirit
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit rest your hand
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit all
Ecclesiastes 7
New Living Translation
Wisdom for Life
7 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies—
so the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for sadness has a refining influence on us.
4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.
6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.
7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.
8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.
9 Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.
10 Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.
11 Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life.
12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.
13 Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
The Limits of Human Wisdom
15 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. 16 So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? 17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? 18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.[a]
19 One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
21 Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. 22 For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
23 I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. 24 Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. 25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
26 I discovered that a seductive woman[b] is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
27 “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. 28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! 29 But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
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