Ecclesiastes 7

Revised Geneva Translation

7 Surely there are many things that increase vanity, and how does it benefit a man?

² For who knows what is good for man in life, in the number of the days of the life of his vanity, seeing he makes them as a shadow? For who can show a man what shall come after him under the Sun?

³ A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of death is better than the day one is born.

⁴ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of all men. And the living shall take it to heart.

⁵ Anger is better than laughter; for by a sad look the heart is made better.

⁶ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. But the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

⁷ Better it is to hear the rebuke of a wise man than that a man should hear the song of fools.

⁸ For like the noise of the thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

⁹ Surely oppression makes a wise man mad. And the reward destroys the heart.

¹⁰ The end of a thing is better than its beginning. To be patient in spirit is better than to be proud in spirit.

¹¹ Do not hasten your spirit to anger. For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

¹² Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely of this thing.

¹³ Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and excellent to those who see the Sun.

¹⁴ For man shall rest in the shadow of wisdom, and in the shadow of silver. But the excellency of the knowledge of wisdom gives life to its possessors.

¹⁵ Behold the work of God. For who can make straight that which He has made crooked?

¹⁶ In the day of wealth, be of good comfort. And in the day of affliction consider this: God has also made this as opposed to that, so that man would find nothing after Him.

¹⁷ I have seen all things in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness. And there is a wicked man who continues long in his malice.

¹⁸ Do not be overly righteous or make yourself overly wise. Why should you be desolate?

¹⁹ Be neither overly wicked nor foolish. Why should you not perish in your time?

²⁰ It is good that you lay hold on this, but still not withdraw your hand from that. For he who fears God shall come forth from them all.

²¹ Wisdom shall strengthen the wise men more than ten mighty princes who are in the city.

²² Surely there is no man righteous on the Earth, who does good and does not sin.

²³ Also, do not give your heart to all the words that men speak, lest you hear your servant cursing you.

²⁴ For oftentimes, your heart also knows that you likewise have cursed others.

²⁵ All this I have tested by wisdom. I thought, “I will be wise,” but it went far from me.

²⁶ It is far off. What may it be? It is profoundly deep. Who can find it?

²⁷ I have applied my heart to know and to inquire and to search wisdom and reason and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness of madness.

²⁸ And I find the woman whose heart is as nets and snares, and her hands as bands, more bitter than death. He who is good before God shall be delivered from her. But the sinner shall be taken by her.

²⁹ “Behold,” says the preacher, “this I have found, adding one by one to find the answer.

³⁰ “And yet my soul seeks, but I do not find it. I have found one man of a thousand. But I have not found a woman among them all.

³¹ “Lo, only this have I found: that God has made man righteous. But they have sought many inventions.”