Ecclesiastes 7

Better the house of mourning

A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.a ²Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. ³Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.b

⁴A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. ⁵Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.c ⁶A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless.

⁷Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.d ⁸Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.e ⁹Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.f

¹⁰Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. ¹¹Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. ¹²Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.

¹³Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?g ¹⁴Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.h

Do not be overly righteous

¹⁵I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. ¹⁶So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?i ¹⁷On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?j

¹⁸Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. ¹⁹One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town! ²⁰Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.k

²¹Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. ²²For you know how often you yourself have cursed others. ²³I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work.

²⁴Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. ²⁵I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness. ²⁶I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.l

²⁷“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”m