The Value of Practical Wisdom

A (A)good name is better than precious ointment,
And the day of death than the day of one’s (B)birth;
Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to (C)heart.
[a]Sorrow is better than laughter,
(D)For by a sad countenance the heart is made [b]better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

(E)It is better to [c]hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
(F)For like the [d]crackling of thorns under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity.
Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,
(G)And a bribe [e]debases the heart.

The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
(H)The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
(I)Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
And profitable (J)to those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is [f]a (K)defense as money is a defense,
But the [g]excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives (L)life to those who have it.

13 Consider the work of God;
For (M)who can make straight what He has made crooked?
14 (N)In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one [h]as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity:

(O)There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,
And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.

16 (P)Do not be overly righteous,
(Q)Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overly wicked,
Nor be foolish:
(R)Why should you die before your time?
18 It is good that you grasp this,
And also not remove your hand from the other;
For he who (S)fears God will [i]escape them all.

19 (T)Wisdom strengthens the wise
More than ten rulers of the city.

20 (U)For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin.

21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others.

23 All this I have [j]proved by wisdom.
(V)I said, “I will be wise”;
But it was far from me.
24 (W)As for that which is far off and (X)exceedingly deep,
Who can find it out?
25 (Y)I applied my heart to know,
To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things,
To know the wickedness of folly,
Even of foolishness and madness.
26 (Z)And I find more bitter than death
The woman whose heart is snares and nets,
Whose hands are fetters.
[k]He who pleases God shall escape from her,
But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

27 “Here is what I have found,” says (AA)the Preacher,
Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,
28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find:
(AB)One man among a thousand I have found,
But a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Truly, this only I have found:
(AC)That God made man upright,
But (AD)they have sought out many schemes.”

Obey Authorities for God’s Sake

Who is like a wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
(AE)A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
And (AF)the [l]sternness of his face is changed.

Obey Authorities for God’s Sake

I say, “Keep the king’s commandment (AG)for the sake of your oath to God. (AH)Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

Where the word of a king is, there is power;
And (AI)who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful;
And a wise man’s heart [m]discerns both time and judgment,
Because (AJ)for every matter there is a time and judgment,
Though the misery of man [n]increases greatly.
(AK)For he does not know what will happen;
So who can tell him when it will occur?
(AL)No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,
And no one has power in the day of death.
There is (AM)no release from that war,
And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

Death Comes to All

10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were (AN)forgotten[o] in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. 11 (AO)Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 (AP)Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that (AQ)it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it (AR)happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the (AS)righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 (AT)So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that (AU)a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

Death Comes to All

For I [p]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: (AV)that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. (AW)All things come alike to all:

One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the [q]good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they will die;
But (AX)the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For (AY)the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.

Go, (AZ)eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.

[r]Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; (BA)for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

10 (BB)Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your (BC)might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

11 I returned (BD)and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and (BE)chance happen to them all.
12 For (BF)man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are (BG)snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.

Wisdom Superior to Folly

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 (BH)There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great [s]snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

16 Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than (BI)strength.
Nevertheless (BJ)the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But (BK)one sinner destroys much good.”

Wisdom and Folly

10 Dead[t] flies [u]putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,
And cause it to give off a foul odor;
So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
(BL)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
(BM)Do not leave your post;
For (BN)conciliation[v] pacifies great offenses.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
(BO)Folly is set in [w]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
I have seen servants (BP)on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.

(BQ)He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom [x]brings success.

11 A serpent may bite (BR)when it is not charmed;
The [y]babbler is no different.
12 (BS)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But (BT)the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
14 (BU)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him (BV)what will be after him?
15 The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!

16 (BW)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your (BX)princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the [z]building decays,
And (BY)through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
And (BZ)wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.

20 (CA)Do not curse the king, even in your thought;
Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

The Value of Diligence

11 Cast your bread (CB)upon the waters,
(CC)For you will find it after many days.
(CD)Give a serving (CE)to seven, and also to eight,
(CF)For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

If the clouds are full of rain,
They empty themselves upon the earth;
And if a tree falls to the south or the north,
In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As (CG)you do not know what is the way of the [aa]wind,
(CH)Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.

Truly the light is sweet,
And it is pleasant for the eyes (CI)to behold the sun;
But if a man lives many years
And (CJ)rejoices in them all,
Yet let him (CK)remember the days of darkness,
For they will be many.
All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
(CL)Walk in the [ab]ways of your heart,
And [ac]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
(CM)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove [ad]sorrow from your heart,
And (CN)put away evil from your flesh,
(CO)For childhood and [ae]youth are vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

12 Remember(CP) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [af]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (CQ)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all (CR)the daughters of music are brought low.
Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to (CS)his eternal home,
And (CT)the mourners go about the streets.

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [ag]loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
(CU)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(CV)And the spirit will return to God (CW)who gave it.

“Vanity(CX) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and (CY)set[ah] in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find [ai]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [aj]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and (CZ)much study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

(DA)Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For (DB)God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:3 Vexation or Grief
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:3 well or pleasing
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:5 listen to
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:6 Lit. sound
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:7 destroys
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:12 A protective shade, lit. shadow
  7. Ecclesiastes 7:12 advantage or profit
  8. Ecclesiastes 7:14 alongside
  9. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Lit. come forth from all of them
  10. Ecclesiastes 7:23 tested
  11. Ecclesiastes 7:26 Lit. He who is good before God
  12. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Lit. strength
  13. Ecclesiastes 8:5 Lit. knows
  14. Ecclesiastes 8:6 is great upon him
  15. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Heb. mss., LXX, Vg. praised
  16. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit. put
  17. Ecclesiastes 9:2 LXX, Syr., Vg. good and bad,
  18. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit. See life
  19. Ecclesiastes 9:14 LXX, Syr., Vg. bulwarks
  20. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit. Flies of death
  21. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Tg., Vg. omit putrefy
  22. Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit. healing, health
  23. Ecclesiastes 10:6 exalted positions
  24. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit. is a successful advantage
  25. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit. master of the tongue
  26. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Lit. rafters sink
  27. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or spirit
  28. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Impulses
  29. Ecclesiastes 11:9 As you see to be best
  30. Ecclesiastes 11:10 vexation
  31. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Prime of life
  32. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
  33. Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
  34. Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
  35. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
  36. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies

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