Ecclesiastes 7:3-13

Amplified Bible

³ 
Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad (deep in thought) the heart may be happy [because it is growing in wisdom].^(A)
4 
The heart of the wise [learns when it] is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is [senseless] in the house of pleasure.
⁵ 
It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise man and pursue wisdom
Than for one to listen to the song of fools and pursue stupidity.
⁶ 
For like the crackling of [burning] thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool;
And this too is vanity (futility).
⁷ 
For oppression makes a wise man foolish,
And a bribe corrupts the [good judgment of the] heart.
⁸ 
The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride).
⁹ 
Do not be eager in your heart to be angry,
For anger dwells in the heart of fools.^(B)
10 
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
¹¹ 
Wisdom along with an inheritance is good
And an [excellent] advantage for those who see the sun.
¹² 
For wisdom is a protection even as money is a protection,
But the [excellent] advantage of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the lives of its possessors.
¹³ 
Consider the work of God:
Who can make straight what He has bent?