Ecclesiastes 7, side by side

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

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

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 a sad countenance is good for the 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 pleasure.

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 heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: Who can straighten what He has bent?

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 this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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