Ecclesiastes — Chapter 7

1A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.

2It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

6For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.

9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.

12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

13Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?

14In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.

15In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

16Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

18It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.

19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.

20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.

22For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.

24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?

25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.

28While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.

29Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

1A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

11Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

15All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

16Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

19Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

20For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:

22For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?

25I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

26And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

28Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

1A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one`s birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.

13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him.

15All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing.

16Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

17Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.

19Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

20Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

22for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?

25I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

26And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

28which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

1A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter because sober reflection is good for the heart.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

5It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools.

6For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.

7Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.

8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; likewise, patience is better than pride.

9Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.

11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.

12For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

13Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent?

14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.

15During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

16So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed.

17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time.

18It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.

19Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city.

20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

21Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

22For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times.

23I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, “I am determined to comprehend this”—but it was beyond my grasp.

24Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.

25I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

26I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net, and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her.

27The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.

28What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.

29This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.

1A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

7Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.

8Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

10Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

13Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

15All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.

16Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

17Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

18It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don’t withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

19Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin.

21Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

22for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.

23All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me.

24That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?

25I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

26I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

27“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find out the scheme;

28which my soul still seeks; but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand; but I have not found a woman among all those.

29Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”