Ecclesiastes 7:7–8
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — The New International Version (NIV)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — English Standard Version (ESV)
7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — King James Version (KJV 1900)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — New Living Translation (NLT)
7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.
8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — The New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — New Century Version (NCV)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — American Standard Version (ASV)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)
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.
Ecclesiastes 7:7–8 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)
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.