OEB by section ECC 7:1

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Ecclesiastes 7

7 A fair name is better than precious ointment,

And the day of death the day of one’s birth.

2 It is better to go the house of mourning

Than to go to the banquetting-house;

Inasmuch as that is the end of all men,

And the living should lay it to heart.

3 Vexation is better than laughter;

For, when the face is sad, it is well with the heart.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

But the heart of the fool in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise

Than to lend one’s ears to the song of a fool.

6 For like crackling of nettles under kettles,

Even so is the cackle of fools.

Here is another illusion.

7 Extortion maketh the wise man mad,

And a bribe destroyeth the character.

8 The end of a thing is better than the beginning,

And the patience is better than pride.

9 Do not be hastily vexed in thy temper;

Vexation doth lodge in the bosom of fools,

10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"

For such a question is not of wisdom.

11 As good as an inheritance is wisdom.

And gainful to those who behold the sun.

12 Wisdom defends, even as money defends;

But herein is the greater gain of knowledge,

That a wisdom is life unto those that possess her.

13 Consider well the work of God;

For who can make straight that which He hath made crooked?

14 In happy days be happy, and in the day of misfor- tune consider: for God has balanced the one against the other, in order to prevent men from discovering anything of the future.

The Folly of Extremes

15 In the course of my illusory life I have witnessed all sort of things – honest men ruined by their very honesty, and unprincipled men who owe their 16 long life to their very lack of principle. Do not be over-pious or over-wise: why court destruction? 17 But neither be over-wicked, nor play the fool: 18 why die before your time? It is good, while cling- ing to the one, not to relax your grasp of the other; for true religion avoids the excesses of both.

19 Wisdom is a mightier protector to the wise than 20 ten men who are in authority over a city. For there is not a single righteous man upon earth– a man who does nothing but good and never falls into sin.

21 Further, pay no attention to current gossip, in case you may hear that your servant has cursed 22 you; for your conscience tells you that you too hace cursed others many a time.

Woman a Delusion and a Snare

23 I subjected all this to the test of wisdom. I resolved to acquire wisdom, but she remained remote. 24 Yes, the essence of things remained remote – deep down in depths unfathomable.

25 Then, casting about, I gave my mind to the understanding and investigation of wisdom, to search after her for results, and to study the folly 26 of wickedness and the madness of folly. And a thing that I find to be more bitter than death is woman: for she is a veritable net, with her heart of snares and her hands of fetters. The man who enjoys the favour of God escapes her, but the sinner 27 is caught by her. Now mark this, says the Speaker. Putting one thing with another in order to arrive 28 at a conclusion – which, however, I have long and earnestly sought in vain – this at least I have dis- covered: that there is one man in a thousand– that I have discovered – but never a woman in all 29 that number have I found. This only have I found-mark it well: that men were created upright by God, but they have sought out many contrivances of their own.

Reflections upon Despotism

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