Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 7"

Ecclesiastes 7

New Revised Standard NRS

1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death, than the day of birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of fools; this also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression makes the wise foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun.

12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to the one who possesses it.

13 Consider the work of God; who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them.

15 In my vain life I have seen everything; there are righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are wicked people who prolong their life in their evildoing.

16 Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise; why should you destroy yourself?

17 Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die before your time?

18 It is good that you should take hold of the one, without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God shall succeed with both.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise more than ten rulers that are in a city.

20 Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning.

21 Do not give heed to everything that people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you;

22 your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me.

24 That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned my mind to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness.

26 I found more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters; one who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.

27 See, this is what I found, says the Teacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum,

28 which my mind has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found.

29 See, this alone I found, that God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes.

The Message Bible MSG

1 good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date.

2 You learn more at a funeral than at a feast - After all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover something from it.

3 Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart.

4 Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games.

5 You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage Than from the song and dance of fools.

6 The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.

7 Brutality stupefies even the wise And destroys the strongest heart.

8 Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.

9 Don't be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

10 Don't always be asking, "Where are the good old days?" Wise folks don't ask questions like that.

11 Wisdom is better when it's paired with money, Especially if you get both while you're still living.

12 Double protection: wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.

13 Take a good look at God's work. Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles To a plain straight line?

14 On a good day, enjoy yourself; On a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days So that we won't take anything for granted. Stay in Touch with Both Sides

15 I've seen it all in my brief and pointless life - here a good person cut down in the middle of doing good, there a bad person living a long life of sheer evil.

16 So don't knock yourself out being good, and don't go overboard being wise. Believe me, you won't get anything out of it.

17 But don't press your luck by being bad, either. And don't be reckless. Why die needlessly?

18 It's best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.

19 Wisdom puts more strength in one wise person Than ten strong men give to a city.

20 There's not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless.

21 Don't eavesdrop on the conversation of others. What if the gossip's about you and you'd rather not hear it?

22 You've done that a few times, haven't you - said things Behind someone's back you wouldn't say to his face?

23 I tested everything in my search for wisdom. I set out to be wise, but it was beyond me,

24 far beyond me, and deep - oh so deep! Does anyone ever find it?

25 I concentrated with all my might, studying and exploring and seeking wisdom - the meaning of life. I also wanted to identify evil and stupidity, foolishness and craziness.

26 One discovery: A woman can be a bitter pill to swallow, full of seductive scheming and grasping. The lucky escape her; the undiscerning get caught.

27 At least this is my experience - what I, the Quester, have pieced together as I've tried to make sense of life.

28 But the wisdom I've looked for I haven't found. I didn't find one man or woman in a thousand worth my while.

29 Yet I did spot one ray of light in this murk: God made men and women true and upright; we're the ones who've made a mess of things.