Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 7
7
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 take it to heart.
3Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of rejoicing.
5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for man to hear the song of fools.
6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool. That too is futile.
7For oppression makes a wise one mad, and a bribe destroys the heart.
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9Do not be hasty in your spirit to be vexed, for vexation rests in the bosom of fools.
10Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not wise of you to have asked about this.
11Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and an advantage to those who see the sun.
12For wisdom protects as silver protects, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
13See the work of Elohim: For who is able to make straight what He has made crooked?
14Be glad in the day of prosperity, but in the evil day take note that Elohim has also appointed the one as well as the other, so that man should not uncover whatever shall be after him.
15I have seen it all in my days of futility: There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong one living long in his evil.
16Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise – why destroy yourself?
17Do not be wrong overmuch, and do not be a fool – why die before your time?
18It is good that you should take hold of this, and also not withhold your hand from the other. For he who fears Elohim comes forth with all of them.
19Wisdom makes the wise strong, more than ten rulers that are in the city.
20For there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin.
21Also do not take to heart all the words they speak, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22For you know in your heart that many times you have cursed others.
23All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I am wise,” but it was far from me.
24That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep – who does find it?
25I have turned round, even my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom and a conclusion, to know the wrongness of folly, even of foolishness and madness.
26And I found more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are shackles. He who pleases Elohim escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27“See, this I have found,” says Qoheleth, “Counting one by one, to find a conclusion,
28which my being still seeks but have not found: I have found one man among a thousand, but a woman among all these I have not found.
29Truly, this only I have found: that Elohim made man straight, but they have sought out many devices.”
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Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 7: TS2009
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Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 7
7
Thoughts about Life
1 #
Prov 22.1
A good reputation is better than expensive perfume; and the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2It is better to go to a home where there is mourning than to one where there is a party, because the living should always remind themselves that death is waiting for us all.
3Sorrow is better than laughter; it may sadden your face, but it sharpens your understanding.
4Someone who is always thinking about happiness is a fool. A wise person thinks about death.
5It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.
6When a fool laughs, it is like thorns crackling in a fire. It doesn't mean a thing.
7You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.
8The end of anything is better than its beginning.
Patience is better than pride.
9 #
Jas 1.19
Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbour a grudge.
10Never ask, “Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?” It's not an intelligent question.
11Everyone who lives ought to be wise; it is as good as receiving an inheritance 12and will give you as much security as money can. Wisdom keeps you safe — this is the advantage of knowledge.
13Think about what God has done. How can anyone straighten out what God has made crooked? 14When things are going well for you, be glad, and when trouble comes, just remember: God sends both happiness and trouble; you never know what is going to happen next.#7.14 you… next; or you cannot find fault with him.
15My life has been useless, but in it I have seen everything. Some good people may die while others live on, even though they are evil. 16So don't be too good or too wise — why kill yourself? 17But don't be too wicked or too foolish, either — why die before you have to? 18Avoid both extremes. If you have reverence for God, you will be successful anyway.
19Wisdom does more for a person than ten rulers can do for a city.
20There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.
21Don't pay attention to everything people say — you may hear your servant insulting you, 22and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.
23I used my wisdom to test all of this. I was determined to be wise, but it was beyond me. 24How can anyone discover what life means? It is too deep for us, too hard to understand. 25But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.
26I found something more bitter than death — the woman who is like a trap. The love she offers you will catch you like a net; and her arms round you will hold you like a chain. A man who pleases God can get away, but she will catch the sinner. 27Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers. 28I have looked for other answers but have found none. I found one man in a thousand that I could respect, but not one woman. 29This is all that I have learnt: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.