7:1 A good reputation 1 is better 2 than precious 3 perfume; 4
likewise, 5 the day of one’s 6 death 7 is better than the day of one’s birth. 8
7:2 It is better to go to a funeral 9
than a feast. 10
For death 11 is the destiny 12 of every person, 13
and the living should 14 take this 15 to heart.
7:3 Sorrow 16 is better than laughter,
because sober reflection 17 is good for the heart. 18
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking. 19
7:5 It is better for a person to receive 20 a rebuke from those who are wise 21
than to listen to the song 22 of fools.
7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns 23 under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly 24 also is useless. 25
7:7 Surely oppression 26 can turn a wise person into a fool; 27
likewise, 28 a bribe corrupts 29 the heart. 30
7:8 The end of a matter 31 is better than its beginning;
likewise, patience 32 is better than pride. 33
7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, 34
for anger resides in the lap 35 of fools.
7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” 36
for it is not wise to ask that. 37
7:11 Wisdom, like 38 an inheritance, is a good thing;
it benefits those who see the light of day. 39
7:12 For wisdom provides 40 protection, 41
just as 42 money provides protection. 43
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the life 44 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 45 be joyful,
but in times of adversity 46 consider this:
God has made one as well as the other, 47
so that no one can discover what the future holds. 48
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life 49 I have seen both 50 of these things:
Sometimes 51 a righteous person dies prematurely 52 in spite of 53 his righteousness,
and sometimes 54 a wicked person lives long 55 in spite of his evil deeds.
7:16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively 56 wise; 57
otherwise 58 you might 59 be disappointed. 60
7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwise 61 you might die before your time.
7:18 It is best to take hold of one warning 62 without letting go of the other warning; 63
for the one who fears God will follow 64 both warnings. 65
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection 66
than ten rulers in a city.
7:20 For 67 there is not one truly 68 righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people 69 say;
otherwise, 70 you might even hear 71 your servant cursing you.
7:22 For you know in your own heart 72
that you also have cursed others many times.
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determined 73 to comprehend this” 74 – but it was beyond my grasp. 75
7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond human 76 understanding; 77
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom. 78
7:25 I tried 79 to understand, examine, and comprehend 80
the role of 81 wisdom in the scheme of things, 82
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness 83 and the insanity of folly. 84
7:26 I discovered this: 85
More bitter than death is the kind of 86 woman 87 who is like a hunter’s snare; 88
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 89 one upright 90 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.