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Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
New English Translation
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
New English Translation
Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life
13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
14 In times of prosperity[a] be joyful,
but in times of adversity[b] consider this:
God has made one as well as the other,[c]
so that no one can discover what the future holds.[d]
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “the day of good.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “the day of evil.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Less probable renderings of this line are “God hath made the one side by side with the other” (ASV) and “God has set the one alongside the other” (NEB).
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “anything after him.” This line is misinterpreted by several versions: “that man may not find against him any just complaint” (Douay); “consequently, man may find no fault with Him” (NJPS); “so that man cannot find fault with him in anything” (NAB).
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
International Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
International Standard Version
The Works of God
13 Consider the work of God:
Who is able to straighten
what he has bent?
14 When times are good, be joyful;
when times are bad, consider this:
God made the one as well as the other,
so people won’t seek anything outside of his best.
New English Translation (NET)
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International Standard Version (ISV) 
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