Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 7"

Ecclesiastes 7

Revised Standard Version RSV

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 all men, 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 for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

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

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

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

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

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

11 Wisdom is good with 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 preserves the life of him who has 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 man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my vain life I have seen everything; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evil-doing.

16 Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself?

17 Be not wicked overmuch, neither be a fool; why should you die before your time?

18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand; for he who fears God shall come forth from them all.

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

20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not give heed to all the things that men say, lest you 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 the wickedness of folly and the foolishness which is madness.

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

27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, 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 Behold, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices.

Good News Translation GNT

1 A good reputation is better than expensive perfume; and the day you die is better than the day you are born.

2 It is better to go to a home where there is mourning than to one where there is a party, because the living should always remind themselves that death is waiting for us all.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter; it may sadden your face, but it sharpens your understanding.

4 Someone who is always thinking about happiness is a fool. A wise person thinks about death.

5 It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.

6 When a fool laughs, it is like thorns crackling in a fire. It doesn't mean a thing.

7 You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.

8 The end of something is better than its beginning. Patience is better than pride.

9 Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge.

10 Never ask, "Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?" It's not an intelligent question.

11 Everyone who lives ought to be wise; it is as good as receiving an inheritance

12 and will give you as much security as money can. Wisdom keeps you safe - this is the advantage of knowledge.

13 Think about what God has done. How can anyone straighten out what God has made crooked?

14 When things are going well for you, be glad, and when trouble comes, just remember: God sends both happiness and trouble; you never know what is going to happen next.

15 My life has been useless, but in it I have seen everything. Some good people may die while others live on, even though they are evil.

16 So don't be too good or too wise - why kill yourself?

17 But don't be too wicked or too foolish, either - why die before you have to?

18 Avoid both extremes. If you have reverence for God, you will be successful anyway.

19 Wisdom does more for a person than ten rulers can do for a city.

20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.

21 Don't pay attention to everything people say - you may hear your servant insulting you,

22 and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.

23 I used my wisdom to test all of this. I was determined to be wise, but it was beyond me.

24 How can anyone discover what life means? It is too deep for us, too hard to understand.

25 But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.

26 I found something more bitter than death - the woman who is like a trap. The love she offers you will catch you like a net, and her arms around you will hold you like a chain. A man who pleases God can get away, but she will catch the sinner.

27 Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers.

28 I have looked for other answers but have found none. I found one man in a thousand that I could respect, but not one woman.

29 This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.