Ecclesiastes 7:1–7

WISE SAYINGS

7 A good name is better than fine perfume,aa

and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.ab

2 It 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.ac

3 Grief is better than laughter,

for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.ad

4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person

than to listen to the song of fools,ae

6 for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot,af

so is the laughter of the fool.

This too is futile.

7 Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,a

and a bribe corrupts the mind.b