Ecclesiastes 7:5–8

5 It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person

than to listen to the song of fools.

6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,

so is the laughter of fools.

This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,

and patience is better than pride.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

5 Better to be criticized by a wise person

than to be praised by a fool.

6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,

like thorns crackling in a fire.

This also is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,

and bribes corrupt the heart.

8 Finishing is better than starting.

Patience is better than pride.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise

Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,

So is the laughter of the fool.

This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,

And a bribe debases the heart.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning;

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

5 It is better to be criticized by a wise person

than to be praised by a fool.

6 The laughter of fools

is like the crackling of thorns in a cooking fire.

Both are useless.

7 Even wise people are fools

if they let money change their thinking.

8 It is better to finish something

than to start it.

It is better to be patient

than to be proud.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 7 Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

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

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart. 8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a proud spirit.

5 It is better to listen to wise people who reprimand you than to fools who sing your praises. 6 The laughter of a fool is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot. Even this is pointless. 

7 Oppression can turn a wise person into a fool, and a bribe can corrupt the mind. 

8 The end of something is better than its beginning. It is better to be patient than arrogant. 

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

than to listen to the song of fools,

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

so is the laughter of the fool.

This too is futile.

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

and a bribe destroys the mind.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise

than to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,

so is the laughter of fools;

this also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression makes the wise foolish,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning;

the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.

5 Better to listen to the rebuke of the wise

than for a man to listen to the song of fools.

6 Like the sound of thorns under a pot,

so also the laughter of fools.

This also is vanity!

7 Surely oppression makes a fool of the wise,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

better to be slow to anger than hot-headed.

5 Pay attention to a wise man’s warning.

That’s better than listening to the songs of those who are foolish.

6 A foolish person’s laughter

is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot.

That doesn’t have any meaning either.

7 When a wise man takes wealth by force, he becomes foolish.

It is sinful to take money from people who want special favors.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning.

So it’s better to be patient than proud.

5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man

Than for one to listen to the song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot,

So is the laughter of the fool;

And this too is futility.

7 For oppression makes a wise man mad,

And a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.