7 A good name is better than good oil,+ and the day of death is better than the day of birth. 2 Better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting,+ for that is the end of every man, and the living should take it to heart. 3 Better is distress than laughter,+ for the sadness of the face makes the heart better.+ 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of the stupid is in the house of rejoicing.+
5 Better to listen to a wise man’s rebuke+ than to listen to the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns burning under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool;+ and this too is futility. 7 But oppression can drive the wise one into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.+
8 Better is the end of a matter than its beginning. Better to be patient than to be haughty in spirit.+ 9 Do not be quick to take offense,+ for the taking of offense lodges in the bosom of fools.+
10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” for it is not out of wisdom that you ask this.+
11 Wisdom together with an inheritance is a good thing and an advantage to those who see the light of day. 12 For wisdom is a protection+ just as money is a protection,+ but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.+
13 Consider the work of the true God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?+ 14 On a good day, reflect this goodness,+ but on the day of adversity, consider that God made the one as well as the other,+ so that men cannot be certain of anything that will happen to them in the future.+
15 During my futile life+ I have seen everything—from the righteous one who perishes in his righteousness+ to the wicked one who lives long despite his badness.+
16 Do not be overly righteous,+ nor show yourself excessively wise.+ Why should you bring ruin to yourself?+ 17 Do not be excessively wicked, nor be foolish.+ Why should you die before your time?+ 18 It is best to grasp one warning without letting go of the other;+ for the one who fears God will heed them both.
19 Wisdom makes a wise man more powerful than ten strong men in a city.+ 20 For there is no righteous man on earth who always does good and never sins.+
21 Also, do not take to heart every word that people say;+ otherwise, you may hear your servant calling down evil on you; 22 for you well know in your heart that many times you yourself have called down evil on others.+
23 All of this I tested with wisdom, and I said: “I will become wise.” But it was beyond me. 24 What has come to be is out of reach and exceedingly deep. Who can understand it?+ 25 I directed my heart to know and to explore and to search for wisdom and the reason behind things, and to understand the wickedness of stupidity and the folly of madness.+ 26 Then I discovered this: More bitter than death is the woman who is like a hunter’s net, whose heart is like dragnets, and whose hands are like prison chains. The one who pleases the true God will escape her,+ but the sinner is captured by her.+
27 “See, this is what I found,” says the congregator.+ “I investigated one thing after another to reach my conclusion, 28 but what I continually sought, I have not found. One man out of a thousand I found, but a woman among them I have not found. 29 This alone I have found: The true God made mankind upright,+ but they have sought out many schemes.”+
8 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the solution to a problem? A man’s wisdom lights up his face and softens his stern appearance.
2 I say: “Obey the king’s orders+ out of regard for the oath to God.+ 3 Do not rush to depart from his presence.+ Do not take a stand for anything bad;+ for he can do whatever he pleases, 4 because the word of the king is absolute;+ who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’”
5 The one who observes the commandment will not experience harm,+ and the wise heart will know the right time and procedure.+ 6 For every matter there is a time and procedure,+ because the troubles of mankind are so abundant. 7 Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him how it will happen?
8 Just as no man has power over the spirit or can restrain the spirit, so no one has power over the day of death.+ Just as no one is discharged during a war, so wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.
9 All of this I have seen, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his harm.+ 10 And I saw the wicked being buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place, but they were soon forgotten in the city where they acted that way.+ This too is futility.
11 Because sentence against a bad deed has not been executed speedily,+ the heart of men becomes emboldened to do bad.+ 12 Although a sinner may do bad a hundred times and still live a long time, yet I am aware that it will turn out well for those who fear the true God, because they fear him.+ 13 But it will not turn out well for the wicked one,+ nor will he prolong his days that are like a shadow,+ because he does not fear God.
14 There is something futile that takes place on the earth: There are righteous people who are treated as if they had acted wickedly,+ and there are wicked people who are treated as if they had acted righteously.+ I say that this too is futility.
15 So I recommended rejoicing,+ because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat and drink and rejoice; this should accompany him as he works hard during the days of his life,+ which the true God gives him under the sun.
16 I applied my heart to acquire wisdom and to see all the activity happening on the earth,+ even going without sleep day and night. 17 Then I considered all the work of the true God, and I realized that mankind cannot comprehend what happens under the sun.+ No matter how hard men try, they cannot comprehend it. Even if they claim that they are wise enough to know, they cannot really comprehend it.+
9 So I took all of this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hands of the true God.+ Men are not aware of the love and the hate that took place prior to them. 2 All have the very same outcome,+ the righteous and the wicked,+ the good and the clean and the unclean, those sacrificing and those not sacrificing. The good one is the same as the sinner; the one who swears an oath is the same as the one who is cautious about swearing an oath. 3 This is a distressing thing that happens under the sun: Because all have the same outcome,+ the heart of humans is also full of bad; and there is madness in their heart during their life, and then they die!
4 There is hope for whoever is among the living, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion.+ 5 For the living know that they will die,+ but the dead know nothing at all,+ nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten.+ 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.+
7 Go, eat your food with rejoicing, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart,+ for already the true God has found pleasure in your works.+ 8 May your clothing always be white, and do not fail to put oil on your head.+ 9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife+ all the days of your futile life, which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility, for that is your lot in life and in your hard work at which you toil under the sun.+ 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave,+ where you are going.
11 I have seen something further under the sun, that the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle,+ nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches,+ nor do those with knowledge always have success,+ because time and unexpected events overtake them all. 12 For man does not know his time.+ Just as fish are caught in an evil net and birds are caught in a trap, so the sons of men are ensnared in a time of disaster, when it suddenly overtakes them.
13 I also observed this about wisdom under the sun—and it impressed me: 14 There was a small city with a few men in it; and a mighty king came against it and surrounded it and built great siegeworks against it. 15 In it was found a poor but wise man, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man.+ 16 And I said to myself: ‘Wisdom is better than mightiness;+ yet a poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.’+
17 Better to heed the calm words of the wise than the shouts of the one ruling among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but just one sinner can destroy much good.+
10 As dead flies cause the perfumer’s oil to stink and bubble, so a little foolishness outweighs wisdom and glory.+
2 The heart of the wise one leads him in the right way, but the heart of the stupid one leads him in the wrong way.+ 3 In whatever way the fool walks, he is lacking good sense,+ and he lets everyone know that he is a fool.+
4 If the anger of a ruler should flare up against you, do not leave your place,+ for calmness allays great sins.+
5 There is something distressing that I have seen under the sun, the sort of mistake made by those in power:+ 6 Foolishness is put in many high positions, but the rich remain in low positions.
7 I have seen servants on horseback but princes walking on foot just like servants.+
8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it;+ and the one who breaks through a stone wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If an iron tool is dull and one does not sharpen its edge, he will need to exert much effort. But wisdom helps to achieve success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the skilled charmer.
12 The words from the mouth of the wise one bring favor,+ but the lips of the stupid one are his ruin.+ 13 The first words out of his mouth are foolishness,+ and his last words are disastrous madness. 14 But the fool keeps on speaking.+
A man does not know what will happen; who can tell him what will come after him?+
15 The hard work of the stupid one wears him out, for he does not even know how to find his way to the city.
16 How terrible for a land when the king is a boy+ and the princes start their feasting in the morning! 17 How happy for the land when the king is the son of nobles and the princes eat at the proper time for strength, not for drunkenness!+
18 Because of extreme laziness the roof beams sag, and because of idle hands the house leaks.+
19 Bread is made for laughter, and wine makes life enjoyable;+ but money answers every need.+
20 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,+ and do not curse the rich in your bedroom; for a bird may convey the sound, or a creature with wings may repeat what was said.