7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.
7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.
7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
7:5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
7:6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.
7:7 Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
7:11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.
7:12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
7:13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?
7:14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
7:15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
7:16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise–why destroy yourself?
7:17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool–why die before your time?
7:18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.
7:19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
7:20 There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.
7:21 Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you–
7:22 for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
7:23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”–but this was beyond me.
7:24 Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound–who can discover it?
7:25 So 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.
7:26 I 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.
7:27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things–
7:28 while I was still searching but not finding–I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.
7:29 This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment, / And the day of death, than the day of one s birth.
7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning / Than to go to the house of feasting, / Because that is the end of every man, / And the living takes it to heart.
7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, / For by the sadness of face the heart is made good.
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, / But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
7:5 It is better for one to hear the rebuke of a wise man / Than for one to hear the song of fools.
7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, / So is the laughter of fools. / This also is vanity.
7:7 Surely oppression makes a wise man mad, / And a bribe destroys the heart.
7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; / Better is patience of spirit than haughtiness of spirit.
7:9 Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry, / For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
7:10 Do not say, How is it that the former days were better than these? / For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
7:11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, / And an advantage to those who see the sun.
7:12 For wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense; / But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of those / who have it.
7:13 Consider the work of God, / For who can straighten what He has made crooked?
7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, / And in the day of adversity consider. / God has made the one as well as the other, / So that man may not find out anything about what is after him.
7:15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.
7:16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not be overly wise; why should you destroy yourself?
7:17 Do not be overly wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die when it is not your time?
7:18 It is better for you to take hold of the one without letting go of the other, for he who fears God will come out of it with them all.
7:19 Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on the earth who does good and does not sin.
7:21 Also, do not give heed to all words spoken, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
7:22 For your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others also.
7:23 All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
7:24 That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
7:25 I turned and my heart was set to know and to search and seek out wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness.
7:26 And I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is traps and snares, whose hands are fetters. One who is well-pleasing to God escapes from her, but the sinner is taken by her.
7:27 See, this is what I have found, says the Preacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum,
7:28 Which my soul is still seeking but has not found. One man among a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found.
7:29 See, this alone have I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.