Ecclesiastes 7
1A good name is better than costly perfume, 2 and the day of death is better than the day of birth. 1
2It is better to go to a house of mourning 2 than to a house of feasting, 1 for mourning comes to all people at the end of life, 2 so living people must take this to heart. 1
3Grief is better than laughter, 2 for after sadness of face comes gladness of heart. 1
4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, 2 but the heart of fools is in the house of feasting. 1
5It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise 2 than to listen to the song of fools. 1
6For like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, 2 so also is the laughter of fools. 1 This, too, is vapor. 1
7Extortion certainly makes a wise man foolish, 2 and a bribe corrupts the heart. 1
8Better is the end of a matter than the beginning; 2 and the people patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit. 1
9Do not be quick to anger in your spirit, 2 for anger resides in the hearts of fools. 1
10Do not say, “Why were the days of old better than these?” 2 For it is not because of wisdom that you ask this question. 1
11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good. 2 It benefits those who see the sun. 1
12For wisdom provides protection as money can provide protection, 2 but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it.
13Consider the deeds of God: 1 Who can straighten out anything he has made crooked? 1
14When times are good, live happily in that good, 2 but when times are bad, consider this: 1 God has allowed both to exist side by side. 2 For this reason, no one will find out anything that is coming after him.
15I have seen many things in my meaningless days. 1 There are righteous people who perish in spite of their righteousness, 1 and there are wicked people who live a long life in spite of their evil. 1
16Do not be self-righteous, 2 wise in your own eyes. 1 Why should you destroy yourself? 1
17Do not be too wicked or foolish. 2 Why should you die before your time? 1
18It is good that you should take hold of this wisdom, 2 and that you should not let go of righteousness. 1 For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations. + 7:18 Instead of will meet all his obligations , some modern versions have different interpretations of this difficult passage. 1
19Wisdom is powerful in the wise man, 2 more than ten rulers in a city. 1
20There is not a righteous man on earth 2 who does good and never sins. 1
21Do not listen to every word that is spoken, 2 because you might hear your servant curse you. 1
22Similarly, you know yourself that in your own heart 2 you have often cursed others.
23All this have I proven by wisdom. I said, 1 “I will be wise,” 2 but it was more than I could be. 1
24Wisdom is far off and very deep. 2 Who can find it? 1
25I turned my heart to learn and examine 2 and seek wisdom and the explanations of reality, 1 and to understand that evil is stupid 2 and that folly is madness. 1
26I found that more bitter than death is any woman 2 whose heart is full of snares and nets, 2 and whose hands are chains. 1 Whoever pleases God will escape from her, 2 but the sinner will be taken by her.
27“Consider what I have discovered,” says the Teacher. “I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality.
28This is what I am still looking for, but I have not found it. I did find one righteous man among a thousand, but a woman among all those I did not find.
29I have discovered only this: That God created humanity upright, but they have gone away looking for many difficulties.”