Ecclesiastes 7:7-12
Lexham English Bible
Wisdom—Although Vulnerable—is Beneficial
7 Surely oppression makes a fool of the wise,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
better to be slow to anger than hot-headed.[a]
9 Do not be quick in your spirit to anger,
for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance;
it benefits the living.[b]
12 For wisdom offers protection like money offers protection.[c]
But knowledge has an advantage—wisdom restores life to its possessor.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:8 Literally “one who is long of spirit is better than one who is high of spirit”
- Ecclesiastes 7:11 Literally “to those who see the sun”
- Ecclesiastes 7:12 Literally “For in the shade of wisdom is the shade of money”
Ecclesiastes 7:7-12
Common English Bible
7 Oppression turns the wise into fools;
a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 The end of something is better than its beginning.
Patience is better than arrogance.
9 Don’t be too quick to get angry
because anger lives in the fool’s heart.
10 Don’t ask, “How is it that the former days were better than these?”
because it isn’t wise to ask this.
11 Wisdom is as good as[a] an inheritance—
an advantage for those who see the sun.
12 Wisdom’s protection is like the protection of money;
the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:11 Or Wisdom is good with
Ecclesiastes 7:19-26
Lexham English Bible
Wisdom is Valuable, but No One is Completely Righteous
19 Wisdom gives more strength to the wise
than ten rulers who are in the city.
20 Surely there is no one righteous on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention to everything people say,
lest you hear your own servant curse you.
22 For your heart knows
that you also have cursed others many times.
Absolute Wisdom is Unattainable
23 All this I have tested with wisdom. I said, “I will be wise!” but it was beyond my grasp.[a] 24 Whatever is—it is far beyond comprehension.[b] Who can discover it?
25 I set my mind to try to seek wisdom and the plan, and to know that wickedness is foolishness and that folly is delusion. 26 I myself found that more bitter than death is the woman who is a trap, whose heart is a snare, and whose hands are bonds. The one who pleases God escapes from her, but the sinner is caught by her.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 Literally “it was far from me”
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 Literally “That which is—it is far and deep deep”
Ecclesiastes 7:19-26
Common English Bible
19 Wisdom makes a wise person stronger than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Remember: there’s no one on earth so righteous as to do good only and never make a mistake.[a] 21 Don’t worry about all the things people say, so you don’t hear your servant cursing you. 22 After all, you know that you’ve often cursed others yourself!
Life is complicated
23 I tested all of this by wisdom. I thought, I will be wise, but it eluded me.
24 All that happens is elusive and utterly unfathomable. Who can grasp it? 25 I turned my mind to know, to investigate, and to seek wisdom, along with an account of things, to know that wickedness is foolishness and folly is madness.
26 I found one woman more bitter than death: she who is a trap, her heart a snare, her hands shackles. Anyone who pleases God escapes her, but a sinner is trapped by her.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 Or and never sin
Ecclesiastes 10:1-11:6
Lexham English Bible
10 Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin[a] the ointment of the perfumer.
So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to his right,
but the heart of the fool inclines to his left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, he lacks sense;
he tells everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post,
for calmness can undo great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun—
it is an error that proceeds from a ruler!
6 The fool is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in lowly places.
7 I have even seen slaves riding on horses
and princes walking like slaves on the earth!
Accidents Happen—Even to Professionals
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever breaks through a wall, a snake will bite him.
9 Whoever quarries[b] stones will be wounded by them.
Whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
Hard Work and Skill Alone Cannot Succeed—Wisdom is Necessary
10 If the ax is blunt but one does not sharpen its edge,
he must exert more effort,[c]
but the advantage of wisdom is it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before the charming,
the snake charmer will not succeed.[d]
The Consequences of Foolishness
12 The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,
but the fool is devoured by his own lips.
13 He begins by saying what is foolish
and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion.
14 The fool talks too much,[e]
for no one knows what will be.
Who can tell anyone what will happen in the future?[f]
15 The fool is so worn out by a hard day’s work
he cannot even find his way home at night.[g]
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility
and your princes feast at the proper time—
to gain strength and not to get drunk.
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 Feasts are held for celebration,[h]
wine cheers the living,
and money answers everything.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;
a winged messenger may repeat your words.
Living in the Light of the Limits of Human Knowledge
11 Send out your bread on the water,
for in many days you will find it.
2 Divide your share in seven or in eight,
for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.
3 When the clouds are full,
they empty rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north,
the place where the tree falls—there it will be.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not sow;
whoever watches the clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you do not know how the path of the wind[i] goes,
nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother’s womb,
so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not let your hands rest in the evening,
for you do not know what will prosper—
whether this or that, or whether both of them alike will succeed.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Or “spew”
- Ecclesiastes 10:9 Literally “breaks out”
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Literally “he must be more strength”
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Literally “there is no advantage to the owner of the charm”
- Ecclesiastes 10:14 Literally “increases words”
- Ecclesiastes 10:14 Literally “after him”
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Or “for he knows not to go to a city”
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Literally “They make bread for laughter”
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or “the breath”
Ecclesiastes 10:1-11:6
Common English Bible
10 As dead flies spoil the perfumer’s oil,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The mind of the wise tends toward the right,
but the mind of the fool toward the left.
3 Fools lack all sense even when they walk down the street;
they show everyone that they are fools.
4 If a ruler’s temper rises against you,
don’t leave your post, because calmness alleviates great offenses.
5 There’s an evil that I have seen under the sun: the kind of mistake that comes from people in power. 6 Fools are appointed to high posts, while the rich sit in lowly positions. 7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes walk on foot like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall
may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs
may be endangered by them.
10 If an ax is dull
and one doesn’t sharpen it first,
then one must exert more force.
It’s profitable to be skillful and wise.
11 If a snake bites before it’s charmed,
then there’s no profit
for the snake charmer.
12 Words from a wise person’s mouth are beneficial,
but fools are devoured by their own lips.
13 Fools start out talking foolishness
and end up speaking awful nonsense.
14 Fools talk too much!
No one knows what will happen;
no one can say what will happen in the future.
15 The hard work of fools tires them out
because they don’t even know the way to town!
16 Too bad for you, land,
whose king is a boy
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Happy is the land
whose king is dignified
and whose princes feast at the right time for energy,
not for drunkenness.
18 Through laziness, the roof sags;
through idle hands, the house leaks.
19 Feasts are made for laughter,
wine cheers the living,
and money answers everything.[a]
20 Don’t curse a king even in private; don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird could carry your voice; some winged creature could report what you said!
Take risks; life is short
11 Send your bread out on the water because, in the course of time, you may find it again. 2 Give a portion to seven people, even to eight: you don’t know what disaster may come upon the land. 3 If clouds fill up, they will empty out rain on the earth. If a tree falls, whether to the south or to the north, wherever it falls, there it will lie. 4 Those who watch the wind blow will never sow, and those who observe the clouds will never reap. 5 Just as you don’t understand what the life-breath does in the fetus[b] inside a pregnant woman’s womb, so you can’t understand the work of God, who makes everything happen. 6 Scatter your seed in the morning, and in the evening don’t be idle because you don’t know which will succeed, this one or that, or whether both will be equally good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Or money is everyone's answer.
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Correction with Tg; MT like the bones
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