Ecclesiastes 7
7
Wisdom
1A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
2It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
3Frustration is better than laughter,
because a sad face 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 the rebuke of a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools.
6Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of fools.
This too is meaningless.
7Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
12Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves those who have it.
13Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.
15In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
16Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
18It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.#7:18 Or will follow them both
19Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.
20Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
no one who does what is right and never sins.
21Do not pay attention to every word people say,
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 and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”—
but this was beyond me.
24Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?
25So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.
26I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.
27“Look,” says the Teacher,#7:27 Or the leader of the assembly “this is what I have discovered:
“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all.
29This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.”
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Ecclesiastes 7: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Ecclesiastes 7
7
A Collection of Wise Teachings
1A good reputation is better than expensive pleasures.#7:1 A good reputation … pleasures Literally, “better a name than good perfume.” This is a wordplay in Hebrew. The word for “name” and the word for “perfume” sound alike.
The day someone dies is better than the day they were born.
2It is better to go to a funeral than to a party,
because everyone must die,
and the living need to remember this.
3Sorrow is even better than laughter,
because when our face is sad, our heart becomes good.
4A wise person thinks about death,
but a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5It is better to be criticized by the wise
than praised by the foolish.
6The laughter of fools is such a waste.
It is like thorns burning under a pot.
The thorns burn so quickly
that the pot does not get hot.#7:6 Or “The cackling of fools, like the crackling of thorns under a pot, is senseless.”
7Even the wise will forget their wisdom,
if someone pays them enough.
That money destroys their understanding.
8It is better to finish something
than to start it.
It is better to be gentle and patient
than to be proud and impatient.
9Don’t become angry quickly,
because anger is foolish.
10Don’t say, “Life was better in the ‘good old days.’
What happened?”
Wisdom does not lead us to ask that question.
11Wisdom is better if you also have property. Wise people#7:11 Wise people Literally, “People who see the sun.” This means wise people can see and plan what they should do. will get more than enough wealth. 12Wisdom and money can protect you. But knowledge gained through wisdom is even better—it can save your life.
13Look at what God has made. You cannot change a thing, even if you think it is wrong. 14When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember that God gives us good times and hard times. And no one knows what will happen in the future.
People Cannot Really Be Good
15In my short life, I have seen everything. I have seen good people die young, and I have seen evil people live long lives. 16-17So why ruin your life? Don’t be too good or too bad, and don’t be too wise or too foolish. Why should you die before your time?
18Try to be a little of this and a little of that.#7:18 Try … of that Or “Hold onto this, but don’t let go of that.” Even God’s followers will do some good things and some bad things. 19-20Surely there is no one on earth who always does good and never sins. But wisdom can make one person stronger than ten leaders in a city.
21Don’t listen to everything people say. You might hear your own servant saying bad things about you. 22And you know that many times you too have said bad things about other people.
23I used my wisdom and thought about all these things. I wanted to be wise, but I couldn’t do it. 24I cannot understand why things are as they are. It is too hard for anyone to understand. 25I studied and I tried very hard to find true wisdom. I tried to find a reason for everything.
I did learn that it is foolish to be evil, and it is crazy to act like a fool. 26I also found that some women are dangerous like traps. Their hearts are like nets, and their arms are like chains. It is worse than death to be caught by these women. God’s followers should run away from them. Let the sinners be caught by them.
27-28The Teacher says, “I added all this together to see what answer I could find. I am still looking for answers, but I did find this: I found one good man in a thousand. But I did not find even one good woman.
29“There is one other thing I have learned. God made people good, but they have found many ways to be bad.”
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