Ecclesiastes 7:7-12
Expanded Bible
7 Even wise people are fools
if they let ·money change their thinking [L a bribe distort their understanding].
8 It is better to ·finish [end] something
than to ·start [begin] it.
It is better to be patient
than to be proud.
9 Don’t ·become angry quickly [L be quick to anger in your spirit],
because ·getting angry is foolish [L anger resides in the bosom of fools].
10 Don’t ·ask [L say], “Why ·was life better in the ‘good old days’ [L were the former days better than these]?”
It is not ·wise [L from wisdom] to ask ·such questions [L this].
11 Wisdom is better when it comes with ·money [L an inheritance].
·They both help those who are alive [L It is an advantage to those who see the sun].
12 ·Wisdom is like money:
they both help [L The protection/shade of wisdom is in/or like the protection/shade of money].
But wisdom is better,
because it can ·save [give life to] whoever has it.
Ecclesiastes 7:7-12
Amplified Bible
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.(A)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:19-26
Expanded Bible
19 Wisdom makes a person stronger
than ten ·leaders [officials; rulers] in a city [9:13–16; Prov. 24:5–6].
20 Surely there is not a ·good [righteous] person on earth
who always does good and never sins [1 Kin. 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Rom. 3:10–18].
21 Don’t ·listen [L give your heart] to everything people say,
or you might hear your servant insulting you.
22 ·You know [L Your heart knows] that many times
you have insulted others.
23 I ·used wisdom to test [L tested with/or by wisdom] all these things.
I said, “I ·want to [or will] be wise,”
but it was ·too hard for [L far from] me.
24 ·I cannot understand why things are as they are [L That which is, is far off].
It is ·too hard for anyone to understand [L deep, deep, who can find it?].
25 ·I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom,
to find some meaning for everything [L I and my heart turned to understand and to explore and to seek wisdom and the sum of things].
I learned that it is foolish to be evil,
and it is crazy to act like a fool.
26 I found that ·some women [or women] are ·worse [L more bitter] than death
and are ·as dangerous as traps [L a trap/snare].
Their ·love is like [L heart is] a net,
and their ·arms hold men like [L hands are] chains.
A man who pleases God will ·be saved from [escape] them,
but ·a sinner [or someone who offends him] will be caught by them.
Ecclesiastes 7:19-26
Amplified Bible
19 Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.(A) 20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.(B) 21 Also, do not take seriously everything that is said, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you, 22 for you also know that you too have cursed others many times.
23 I have tested all this with wisdom. I said, “I will be wise [independently of God],” but true wisdom was far from me. 24 Whatever has been is far off, deeply remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it [for it is beyond the grasp of man]?(C) 25 I turned around and directed my heart to know, to investigate and to seek [skillful and godly] wisdom and the reason for things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [leading to stupidity and recklessness]. 26 And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].
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Ecclesiastes 10:1-11:6
Expanded Bible
10 Dead flies can make even ·perfume [L a perfumer’s oil] stink.
In the same way, a little foolishness ·can spoil [L outweighs] wisdom and ·honor [glory].
2 The heart of the wise ·leads [goes] to ·right [L the right],
but the heart of a fool ·leads [goes] to ·wrong [L the left].
3 Even in the way fools walk along the road,
they ·show they are not wise [lack sense];
they show everyone how ·stupid [foolish] they are [Prov. 12:23; 13:16].
4 Don’t leave your job
just because your ·boss [ruler; leader] is angry with you.
·Remaining calm [Gentleness] ·solves [appeases] great ·problems [offenses].
5 There is something else ·wrong [evil] that happens ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3].
It is the kind of ·mistake [error] rulers make:
6 Fools are ·given [placed in] important positions
while ·gifted [L wealthy] people ·are given [L sit in] lower ones;
7 I have seen servants ride horses
while princes walk like servants on ·foot [L on the ground/earth].
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it [Ps. 7:15; Prov. 26:27];
anyone who ·knocks down [breeches] a wall might be bitten by a snake;
9 anyone who ·moves [quarries] boulders might be ·hurt [injured] by them;
and anyone who ·cuts logs [splits trees] might be ·harmed [endangered] by them.
10 ·A dull ax means harder work [L If the ax is blunt and the edge is not sharp, then he must increase his efforts].
·Being wise will make it easier [L The advantage of wisdom is success].
11 If a snake bites the ·tamer [charmer] before it is ·tamed [charmed],
what good is the ·tamer [charmer]?
12 The words of the wise bring them ·praise [or favor],
but the words of a fool will ·destroy [L swallow] them.
13 A fool begins by saying foolish things
and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.
14 A fool ·talks too much [L multiplies words].
No one knows ·the future [L what will happen],
and ·no one [who…?] can tell what will happen after ·death [L him].
15 ·Work [Toil] wears fools out;
they don’t even know how to get ·home [L to the city].
The Value of Work
16 ·How terrible it is for a [L Woe to you, O] country whose king is ·a child [or immature]
and whose leaders ·eat all [or feast in the] morning [Is. 5:11–12; 21:5].
17 ·How lucky a [L Blessed are you, O] country whose king ·comes from a good family [L is a noble],
whose leaders eat ·only at mealtime [L at the appropriate time]
and for strength, not to get drunk.
18 If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to ·fall [sag].
If he ·doesn’t fix it [L lowers his hands], the house will leak [Prov. 6:6; 26:16].
19 A ·party [feast] makes you ·feel good [laugh],
wine makes you feel ·happy [merry],
and money ·buys anything [L answers everything].
20 Don’t ·make fun of [or curse] the king even in your thoughts,
and don’t ·make fun of [curse] rich people, even in your bedroom.
A little bird might carry your words;
a ·bird might fly and [winged creature might] tell what you said.
Boldly Face the Future
11 ·Invest what you have [L Send/Cast/Throw your bread upon the waters],
because after ·a while you will get a return [L many days you may find it].
2 ·Invest what you have in several different businesses [L Give a portion to seven, even eight],
because you don’t know what ·disasters [evil] might ·happen [L occur in the land].
3 If clouds are full of rain,
they will shower on the earth.
A tree can fall to the north or south,
but it will stay where it falls.
4 Those who ·wait for perfect weather [L watch the wind]
will never ·plant seeds [sow];
those who look at every cloud
will never harvest crops.
5 You don’t know ·where the wind will blow [L the way of the wind],
and you don’t know how ·a baby grows inside its mother [L the bones/or body are/is formed in its mother’s womb].
In the same way, you don’t know ·what God is doing [the work of God],
or ·how he created everything [or who does everything].
6 Plant early in the morning,
and ·work until [L do not let your hand rest at] evening,
because you don’t know if this or that will succeed.
They might both do well.
Ecclesiastes 10:1-11:6
Amplified Bible
A Little Foolishness
10 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart turns him toward the right [which is the way of blessing], but a fool’s heart turns him toward the left [which is the way of condemnation].(A) 3 Even when a fool walks along the road, his [common] sense and good judgment fail him and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the temper of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post [showing resistance], because composure and calmness prevent great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceeds from the ruler— 6 folly is set in many exalted places and in great dignity while the rich sit in humble places. 7 I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the ground.
8 He who digs a pit [for others] may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a [stone] wall.(B) 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt with them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.(C) 10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort]. 11 If the serpent bites before being charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer. 12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him; 13 the beginning of [a]his talking is foolishness and the end of his talk is wicked madness. 14 Yet the fool multiplies words, though no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after he is gone? 15 The labor of a fool so wearies him [because he is ignorant] that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning. 17 Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.(D) 18 Through laziness the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sags, and through idleness [the roof of] the house leaks. 19 The officials make a feast for enjoyment [instead of repairing what is broken], and serve wine to make life merry, and money is the answer to everything. 20 Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.(E)
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
11 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will [b]find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full [of rain], they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it lies. 4 He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. 5 Just as you do not know the way and path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle with your hands in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening planting will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit the words of his mouth.
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 I.e. be richly rewarded.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
