Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 7"

Ecclesiastes 7

New International Version NIV

1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

3 Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5 It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.

6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.

16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself?

17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time?

18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

19 Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you—

22 for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”— but this was beyond me.

24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it?

25 So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

26 I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.

27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—

28 while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.

29 This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB

1 A shem tov is better than precious ointment; and the yom hamavet than the day of one’s birth.

2 It is better to go to the bais evel (house of mourning), than to go to the bais mishteh (house of feasting); for that is the sof (end, conclusion; see 12:13) of kol haAdam; and the living will take it to heart.

3 Ka’as (sorrow) is better than laughter; for sadness of the countenance is good for the lev.

4 The lev of chachamim is in the bais evel (house of mourning); but the lev of kesilim is in the bais simchah.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the chacham, than for an ish to hear the shir kesilim.

6 For as is the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the kesil; this also is hevel.

7 Surely oppression maketh a chacham mad; and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the acharit (end) of a thing than the reshit (beginning) thereof; and erech ruach (patience) is better than gavoah ruach (haughtiness).

9 Be not hasty in thy ruach to be angry; for ka’as (anger) resteth in the kheyk (bosom) of kesilim.

10 Say thou not, What is the cause that the yamim harishonim were better than these? For it is not because of chochmah that thou dost inquire concerning this.

11 Chochmah is better than a nachalah (inheritance); and by it there is an advantage to them that see the shemesh.

12 For chochmah is a protective tzel (shade), and kesef is as well; but the advantage of da’as is, that chochmah giveth chayyim (life) to them that possess it.

13 Consider the ma’aseh HaElohim; for who can make straight what Hashem hath made crooked?

14 In the yom tovah be joyful, but in the yom ra’ah consider: HaElohim also hath set the one over against the other in such a way that adam may not find out anything that will come after him.

15 All things have I seen in the yamim of my hevel; there is a tzaddik that perisheth in his tzedakah, and there is a rasha that prolongeth his life in his ra’ah.

16 Do not be over much the tzaddik nor over much the chacham; why cause thyself desolation?

17 Be not over much resha, neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18 It is good that thou holdest fast to the one and withdrawest not thine hand from the other; for he is a yire Elohim (G-d fearer) who shall fulfill both.

19 Chochmah makes one chacham stronger than asarah shalitim (ten rulers) which are in the city.

20 For there is not a tzaddik upon earth, that doeth tov, and sinneth not [Ro 3:23].

21 Also take no heed unto kol dvarim that are spoken; lest thou hear thy eved curse thee;

22 For oftentimes also thine own lev hath da’as that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23 I tested all this with chochmah; I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, whose chochmah can find it out?

25 I applied mine lev to have da’as, and to search, and to seek out chochmah, and the cheshbon (scheme, plan) of things, and to have da’as of resha (wickedness) of kesel (stupidity), even of sichlut (folly) and holelot (madness).

26 And I find more mar (bitter) than mavet the isha, whose lev is snares and traps, and her hands are as chains; whoso pleaseth HaElohim shall escape from her; but the choteh (sinner) shall be ensnared by her.

27 Look, this have I discovered, saith Kohelet, adding one point to another to find out the cheshbon (the scheme, plan of things);

28 Which yet my nefesh seeketh, but I have not found; one man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.

29 Lo, this only have I found, that HaElohim hath made man yashar (upright, Gn 1:27); but they have sought out chishvonot rabbim (many schemes, Gn 3:6-7; Ps 51; Ro 5:12; 3:23).