Ecclesiastes 7
7
Wise Sayings
1A good name is better than fine perfume, # Pr 22:1; Ezk 36:21
and the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth. # Ec 4:2
2It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
since that is the end of all mankind,
and the living should take it to heart. # Ps 90:12
3Grief is better than laughter,
for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. # Pr 14:13
4The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
5It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools, # Pr 13:1
6for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, # Ps 58:9; 118:12
so is the laughter of the fool.
This too is futile.
7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, # Ec 4:1
and a bribe destroys the mind. # Dt 16:19; Pr 17:8
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. # Pr 14:29
9Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry,
for anger abides in the heart of fools. # Pr 14:17; Jms 1:19
10Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these? ” # Jdg 6:13
since it is not wise of you to ask this.
11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance
and an advantage to those who see the sun,
12because wisdom is protection as money is protection,
and the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. # Pr 3:18
13Consider the work of God, # Ec 3:11
for who can straighten out
what He has made crooked? # Ec 1:15
14In the day of prosperity be joyful, # Ec 3:22 but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, # Lm 3:38 so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
Avoiding Extremes
15In my futile life # Lit days I have seen everything: # Ec 6:12; 9:9 there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, # Ec 8:14 and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil. # Ec 8:12-13 16Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. # Ec 2:15; Rm 12:3 Why should you destroy yourself? 17Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time? # Jb 22:16; Ps 55:23; Pr 10:27 18It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.
19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger
than ten rulers of a city. # Ec 9:13-18
20There is certainly no righteous man on the earth
who does good and never sins. # 1Kg 8:46; Rm 3:23
21Don’t pay attention # Lit Don’t give your heart to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, # Pr 30:10 22for you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.
What the Teacher Found
23I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. 24What exists is beyond reach and very deep. # Rm 11:33 Who can discover it? 25I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom # Ec 1:15,17 and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. 26And I find more bitter than death # Pr 5:4 the woman who is a trap, # Pr 6:25 her heart a net, and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27“Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman. # 1Kg 11:3 29Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, # Gn 1:27 but they pursued many schemes.”
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Ecclesiastes 7: HCSB
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Kohelet 7
7
1A shem tov is better than precious ointment; and the yom hamavet than the day of oneʼs birth.
2It is better to go to the bais evel (house of mourning), than to go to the bais mishteh (house of feasting); for that is the sof (end, conclusion)#7:2 See 12:13 of kol haAdam; and the living will take it to heart.
3Ka'as (sorrow) is better than laughter; for sadness of the countenance is good for the lev.
4The lev of chachamim is in the bais evel (house of mourning); but the lev of kesilim is in the bais simchah.
5It is better to hear the rebuke of the chacham, than for an ish to hear the shir kesilim.
6For as is the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the kesil; this also is hevel.
7Surely oppression maketh a chacham mad; and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8Better is the acharit (end) of a thing than the reshit (beginning) thereof; and erech ruach (patience) is better than gavoah ruach (haughtiness).
9Be not hasty in thy ruach to be angry; for ka'as (anger) resteth in the kheyk (bosom) of kesilim.
10Say thou not, What is the cause that the yamim harishonim were better than these? For it is not because of chochmah that thou dost inquire concerning this.
11Chochmah is good with a nachalah (inheritance); and by it there is an advantage to them that see the shemesh.
12For chochmah is a protective tzel (shade), and kesef is as well; but the advantage of da'as is, that chochmah giveth chayyim (life) to them that possess it.
13Consider the ma'aseh HaElohim; for who can make straight what Hashem hath made crooked?
14In the yom tovah be joyful, but in the yom ra'ah consider: HaElohim also hath set the one over against the other in such a way that adam may not find out anything that will come after him.
15All things have I seen in the yamim of my hevel; there is a tzaddik that perisheth in his tzedakah, and there is a rasha that prolongeth his life in his ra'ah.
16Do not be over much the tzaddik nor over much the chacham; why cause thyself desolation?
17Be not over much resha, neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18It is good that thou holdest fast to the one and withdrawest not thine hand from the other; for he is a yire Elohim (G-d fearer) who shall fulfill both.
19Chochmah makes one chacham stronger than asarah shalitim (ten rulers) which are in the city.
20For there is not a tzaddik upon earth, that doeth tov, and sinneth not.#7:20 Ro 3:23
21Also take no heed unto kol devarim that are spoken; lest thou hear thy eved curse thee;
22For oftentimes also thine own lev hath da'as that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23I tested all this with chochmah; I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24That which is far off, and exceeding deep, whose chochmah can find it out?
25I applied mine lev to have da'as, and to search, and to seek out chochmah, and the cheshbon (scheme, plan) of things, and to have da'as of resha (wickedness) of kesel (stupidity), even of sichlut (folly) and holelot (madness).
26And I find more mar (bitter) than mavet the isha, whose lev is snares and traps, and her hands are as chains; whoso pleaseth HaElohim shall escape from her; but the choteh (sinner) shall be ensnared by her.
27Look, this have I discovered, saith Kohelet, adding one point to another to find out the cheshbon (the scheme, plan of things);
28Which yet my nefesh seeketh, but I have not found; 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 HaElohim hath made man yashar (upright);#7:29 Gn 1:27 but they have sought out chishvonot rabbim (many schemes).#7:29 Gn 3:6-7; Ps 51; Ro 5:12; 3:23
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