Ecclesiastes 7

Chapter 7

Wisdom for Life

¹A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.

And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

²Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.

After all, everyone dies—

so the living should take this to heart.

³Sorrow is better than laughter,

for sadness has a refining influence on us.

⁴A wise person thinks a lot about death,

while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

⁵Better to be criticized by a wise person

than to be praised by a fool.

⁶A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,

like thorns crackling in a fire.

This also is meaningless.

⁷Extortion turns wise people into fools,

and bribes corrupt the heart.

⁸Finishing is better than starting.

Patience is better than pride.

⁹Control your temper,

for anger labels you a fool.

¹⁰Don’t long for “the good old days.”

This is not wise.

¹¹Wisdom is even better when you have money.

Both are a benefit as you go through life.

¹²Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,

but only wisdom can save your life.

¹³Accept the way God does things,

for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

¹⁴Enjoy prosperity while you can,

but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.

Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

¹⁵I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. ¹⁶So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? ¹⁷On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? ¹⁸Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.

¹⁹One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

²⁰Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

²¹Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. ²²For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

²³I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. ²⁴Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. ²⁵I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

²⁶I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

²⁷“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”