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7 A good name is better than fine perfume.
People can learn more from sobbing when someone dies
than from being happy when someone is born.
2 So it’s better to go where people are sobbing
than to go where people are having a good time.
Everyone will die someday.
Those who are still living
should really think about that.
3 Sadness is good for the heart.
That’s why sorrow is better than laughter.
4 Those who are wise are found where there is sorrow.
But foolish people are found where there is pleasure.
5 Pay attention to a wise man’s warning.
That’s better than listening to the songs of those who are foolish.
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.
Anger lives in the hearts of foolish people.
10 Don’t say, “Why were things better in the good old days?”
It isn’t wise to ask that kind of question.
It’s like getting a share of the family wealth.
It benefits those who live on this earth.
just as money provides safety.
But here’s the advantage of wisdom.
It guards the lives of those who have it.
13Think about what God has done.
Who can make straight
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy.
But when times are bad, here’s something to think about.
God has made bad times.
He has also made good times.
So a man can’t find out anything
about what’s ahead for him.
15In my meaningless life here’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve seen a godly man dying
even though he is godly.
And I’ve seen a sinful man living a long time
even though he is sinful.
16 Don’t claim to be better than you are.
And don’t claim to be wiser than you are.
Why destroy yourself?
And don’t be foolish.
Why die before your time comes?
18 It’s good to hold on to both of those things.
Don’t let go of either one.
A man who has respect for God will avoid
going too far in either direction.
19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.
20 There isn’t anyone on earth
who does only what is right and never sins.
21 Don’t pay attention to everything people say.
If you do, you might hear your servant calling down a curse on you.
22 Many times you yourself have called down curses on others.
Deep down inside, you know that’s true.
23I used wisdom to put all of those things to the test. I said,
“I’ve made up my mind to be wise.”
But it was more than I could accomplish.
24 No matter what else wisdom may be,
it’s far away and very deep.
Who can find it?
25 So I tried to understand wisdom more completely.
I wanted to study it and figure it out.
I tried to find out everything I could about it.
I tried to understand why it’s foolish to be evil.
I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.
26 A woman who hunts a man down
is more painful than death.
Her heart is like a trap.
Her hands are like chains.
A man who pleases God will try to get away from her.
But she will trap a sinner.
27“Look,” says the Teacher. “Here’s what I’ve discovered.
“I added one thing to another to find out
everything I could about wisdom.
but found very little.
I did find one honest man among a thousand.
But I didn’t find one honest woman among a thousand.
29 Here’s the only other thing I found.
God made men honest.
But they’ve made many evil plans.”
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About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
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Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England. Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |
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