Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

English Standard Version

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]