Ecclesiastes 7:1–12

A ^agood ^bname is better than precious ^bointment; and ^cthe day of death than the day of one’s birth. 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 ^dlay it to his heart. ^3||eSorrow is better than laughter: ^ffor by the sadness of the countenance ^gthe 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 mirth. ^5hIt is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. ⁶For ⁱas the ^†crackling of thorns under a pot, ^kso is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

⁷Surely ^loppression ^mmaketh a wise man mad; and ⁿa gift destroyeth the heart. ⁸Better is ^othe end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and ^pthe patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. ^9qBe not hasty in thy spirit ^pto be angry: for anger ^rresteth in the bosom of fools. ¹⁰Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire ^†wisely concerning this. ¹¹Wisdom is ^||good with an inheritance: and by it there is ^sprofit ^tto them that see the sun. ¹²For wisdom is a ^†defence, and money is a ^†defence: but the ^uexcellency of knowledge is, that wisdom ^wgiveth life to ^xthem that have it.