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Second Edition · Explore Scripture, one passage at a time.
7:1 A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. 7:2 It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter because sober reflection is good for the heart. 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.
7:5 It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools. 7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.
7:7 Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart. 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; likewise, patience is better than pride. 7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools. 7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.
7:11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day. 7:12 For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
7:13 Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent? 7:14 In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds. 7:16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed. 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time. 7:18 It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city. 7:20 For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins. 7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you. 7:22 For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times.
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, “I am determined to comprehend this” —but it was beyond my grasp. 7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.
7:25 I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly. 7:26 I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net, and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her. 7:27 The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item. 7:28 What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them. 7:29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.
NET Bible Second Edition. Copyright 2017 Biblical Studies Press
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