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
New American Standard Bible
7 For (A)oppression makes a wise person look foolish,
And a (B)bribe [a]corrupts the heart.
8 The (C)end of a matter is better than its beginning;
(D)Patience of spirit is better than arrogance of spirit.
9 Do not be [b](E)eager in your spirit to be angry,
For anger resides in the [c]heart 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 (F)advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For (G)wisdom is [d]protection just as money is [e]protection,
But the advantage of knowledge is that (H)wisdom keeps its possessors alive.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:7 Lit destroys
- Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit hasty
- Ecclesiastes 7:9 Lit chest
- Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
- Ecclesiastes 7:12 Lit in a shadow
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
New American Standard Bible
19 (A)Wisdom strengthens a wise person more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Indeed, (B)there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin. 21 Also, do not [a]take seriously all the words which are spoken, so that you do not hear your servant (C)cursing you, 22 for [b]you know that even you have cursed others many times as well.
23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” (D)but wisdom was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and (E)very [c]mysterious. (F)Who can discover it? 25 I [d](G)directed my [e]mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity. 26 And I discovered as more (H)bitter than death the woman whose heart is (I)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. (J)One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but (K)the sinner will be captured by her.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 Lit give your heart to
- Ecclesiastes 7:22 Lit your heart knows
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 Lit deep
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit turned about
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 Lit heart
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
New American Standard Bible
A Little Foolishness
10 Dead flies turn a (A)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more [a]potent than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (B)person’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his [b]sense is lacking, and he [c](C)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s [d]temper rises against you, (D)do not abandon your place, because (E)composure puts great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: 6 (F)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. 7 I have seen (G)slaves riding (H)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 (I)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a (J)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. 9 One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [e]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its [f]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. 11 If the serpent bites [g](K)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. 12 (L)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a (M)fool consume him; 13 the beginning of [h]his talking is foolishness, and the end of [i]it is evil (N)insanity. 14 Yet the (O)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him (P)what will come after him? 15 The labor of [j]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, land whose (Q)king is a boy, and whose princes [k]feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for (R)drunkenness. 18 Through (S)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. 19 People prepare a meal for enjoyment, (T)wine makes life joyful, and (U)money [l]is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, (V)in your bedroom do not (W)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
11 (X)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you (Y)will find it [m]after many days. 2 (Z)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what (AA)misfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it [n]lies. 4 One who watches the wind will not sow and one who looks at the clouds will not harvest. 5 Just as you do not (AB)know the path of the [o]wind, and (AC)how bones are formed in the womb of the [p]pregnant woman, so you do not (AD)know the activity of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed (AE)in the morning and do not [q]be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether [r]one or the other will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit costly
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit says
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit iron
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit faces
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit with no incantation
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit the words of his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Lit fools make
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Lit eat
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Lit answers all
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 Lit in, within
- Ecclesiastes 11:3 Lit is
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or with many mss spirit into the bones in the womb
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Lit full
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit let down your hand
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit this or that
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
