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Ecclesiastes 7

A good name in life is better than nard,

but the day of death is better than the day of birth.

Better go to the house of mourning

than to the house of feasting

for death is the end of all men

and the living should keep that in mind.

Grief is better than gaiety,

for sadness does the soul good.

The heart of wise men turns to the house of mourning

the heart of fools turns to the house of mirth.

Better attend to censure from the wise

than listen to a song from fools;

for like nettles crackling under kettles

is the cackle of a fool.

This too is vain:

for a judge to make a fool of himself by oppression

and for life to be ruined by taking bribes.

The end of a business is better than its beginning

and patience is better than pride.

Never be hasty in your anger

it is only fools who cherish wrath.

Never ask why the past was better than the present

that is a foolish question.

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance,

a real profit for mankind;

for wisdom like wealth is a de- fence,

but knowledge does more good than money

it safeguards a man’s life.

Ponder the doings of God:

who can straighten what he twists? 14 In prosperous days enjoy yourself, but in evil days ponder this, that the one is the doing of God as well as the other--all to keep man from knowing what is to happen.

15 All manner of things have I seen in my fleeting life, the good man perishing by his very goodness and the evil man flourishing upon his evil. 16 Be not over-good, be not over-wise; why expose yourself to trouble? 17 And be not over-evil either, never play the fool; why die before your time? 18 The best way is to take the one line, and yet not avoid the other [[he who stands in awe of God shall avoid both extremes]] 19 [[wisdom is better protection for the wise than a dozen wardens for a city]], 20 for there is not a single good man upon earth whose good deeds are without some sinful lapse.

21 One thing more. Never listen to all that people say; you may hear your own slave cursing you. 22 As many a time, you must confess, you yourself have cursed other people.

23 All this I have tested by means of wisdom. I thought to become wise, but wisdom remained out of reach. 24 Reality is beyond my grasp; deep it lies, very deep, and no one can lay hands upon the heart of things.

25 I cast about in my mind to know and survey and discover wisdom and the reason of things, finding that wickedness is folly and folly madness; 26 and I discovered something, something more bitter even than death--the woman who entangles men, whose heart is a net, whose clasp is a chain [[a man by God’s good favour shall escape her, but she will snare a sinner]]. 27 Vainly have I sought over and again the truth of things, putting together this and that; 28 but here is what I have found, says the Speaker: one true man in a thousand, but never a true woman! 29 Here is all I have been able to discover: God made the race of men upright, but many a cunning wile have they contrived.

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