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The Book of Ecclesiastes 7

7 Better is a good name than fine oil

and the day of death is better than the day of his birth.

2 Better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of a banquet,

because it is the end of all humanity

and the living will give it to his heart.

3 Better grief than laughter,

for with a bad face a heart is made good.

4 The heart of wise people is in a house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in house of joy.

5 Better to listen to a rebuke of a wise person

than to be a person listening to a song of fools,

6 for like the sound of the thorns under the cooking-pot,

so is the laughter of the fool.

And this also is vapor.

7 For oppression drives a wise person insane,

and a bribe destroys a heart.

8 Better is an end of a thing than its beginning.

Better is a long spirit than a high spirit.

9 Do not hasten in your spirit to become angry,

for anger rests in the lap of fools.

10 Do not say, “What was it that the former days were better than these?”

For you do not ask about this out of wisdom.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance

and an advantage to those who see the sun.

12 For as in the shadow of wisdom, so in the shadow of silver.

And this is an advantage of knowledge: wisdom preserves her owners.

13 See the work of God,

for who is able to straighten that which he has made it crooked?

14 In the good day, be in good,

but in a day of misfortune, see—

indeed, God has done this as well as this,

so that humanity cannot find anything after him.

15 I have seen everything in the days of my vapor: There is a righteous person perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wicked person lengthening his days in his evil. 16 Do not be very righteous and do not be exceedingly wise—why should you be shocked? 17 Do not be very wicked and do not be a fool—why should you die when it is not your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this and also from this do not let your hand rest, for the one who fears God will go forth with both of them.

19 Wisdom is strong for the wise, more than ten rulers who are in the city. 20 For a person—there is not a righteous person on the earth who does good and does not sin.

21 Also, to all of the words that they say, do not give your heart, so that you will not hear your servant belittling you. 22 For also many times your heart knows that even you have belittled others.

23 All of this I tested with wisdom. I said, “Let me be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 Far away is that which was, and deep, deep. Who will find it?

25 I turned, I and my heart, to know and to explore, to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness that is folly and the foolishness that is madness.

26 And I found more bitter than death is the woman who, snares she is, and her heart, nets; her hands, chains. The one who is good to the face of God will flee from her, but a sinner will be captured by her.

27 “See, this I have found,” says Qoheleth, “one to one to find the scheme of things. 28 That which continually my soul sought, but I have not found: one man from a thousand men I found. But a woman from all of these people, I did not find. 29 Only see—this I have found: that God made humanity upright, but they, they have sought out many schemes.”

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