Add parallel Print Page Options

Some Benefits of Serious Thinking

It is better to have ·respect [a good reputation/L name] than ·good [fine] ·perfume [oil].
    The day of death is better than the day of birth.
It is better to go to a ·funeral [L house of mourning]
    than to a ·party [L drinking house].
·We all must die [L It is everyone’s end],
    and everyone living should ·think about this [L take it to heart].
·Sorrow [or Anger] is better than laughter,
    and ·sadness has a good influence on you [in a troubled face the heart is made well].
·A wise person thinks about death [The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning],
    but ·a fool thinks only about having a good time [L the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure].
It is better to ·be criticized by a [hear the rebuke of a] wise person
    than to ·be praised by a fool [L hear the song of fools].
The laughter of fools
    is like the crackling of thorns ·in a cooking fire [L under the pot].
Both are useless [1:2].

Even wise people are fools
if they let ·money change their thinking [L a bribe distort their understanding].

It is better to ·finish [end] something
    than to ·start [begin] it.
It is better to be patient
    than to be proud.
Don’t ·become angry quickly [L be quick to anger in your spirit],
    because ·getting angry is foolish [L anger resides in the bosom of fools].

10 Don’t ·ask [L say], “Why ·was life better in the ‘good old days’ [L were the former days better than these]?”
It is not ·wise [L from wisdom] to ask ·such questions [L this].

11 Wisdom is better when it comes with ·money [L an inheritance].
    ·They both help those who are alive [L It is an advantage to those who see the sun].
12 ·Wisdom is like money:
    they both help [L The protection/shade of wisdom is in/or like the protection/shade of money].
But wisdom is better,
    because it can ·save [give life to] whoever has it.

13 Look at ·what God has done [L the work/deeds of God]:
    ·No one [L Who can…?] straighten what he has bent [1:15].
14 When life is good, enjoy it.
    But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
    and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

It Is Impossible to Be Truly Good

15 In my useless [1:2] ·life [L days] I have seen both of these:
I have seen ·good [righteous] people die ·in spite of their goodness [L in their righteousness]
    and ·evil [wicked] people live a long time in spite of their evil.
16 Don’t be ·too [overly] ·right [righteous; good],
    and don’t ·be too [or pretend to be] wise.
    Why ·destroy [ruin] yourself?
17 Don’t be ·too [overly] wicked,
    and don’t be foolish.
    Why die ·before [L when it is not] your time?
18 It is good to grab the one and not ·let go of [L relax your hand from] the other;
    those who ·respect [or are afraid of; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12, 13] God will hold them both.

19 Wisdom makes a person stronger
than ten ·leaders [officials; rulers] in a city [9:13–16; Prov. 24:5–6].

20 Surely there is not a ·good [righteous] person on earth
who always does good and never sins [1 Kin. 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Rom. 3:10–18].

21 Don’t ·listen [L give your heart] to everything people say,
    or you might hear your servant insulting you.
22 ·You know [L Your heart knows] that many times
    you have insulted others.

23 I ·used wisdom to test [L tested with/or by wisdom] all these things.
I said, “I ·want to [or will] be wise,”
    but it was ·too hard for [L far from] me.
24 ·I cannot understand why things are as they are [L That which is, is far off].
    It is ·too hard for anyone to understand [L deep, deep, who can find it?].
25 ·I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom,
    to find some meaning for everything [L I and my heart turned to understand and to explore and to seek wisdom and the sum of things].
I learned that it is foolish to be evil,
    and it is crazy to act like a fool.

26 I found that ·some women [or women] are ·worse [L more bitter] than death
    and are ·as dangerous as traps [L a trap/snare].
Their ·love is like [L heart is] a net,
    and their ·arms hold men like [L hands are] chains.
A man who pleases God will ·be saved from [escape] them,
    but ·a sinner [or someone who offends him] will be caught by them.

27 The ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1] says, “This is what I ·learned [L found]:
·I added all these things together
    to find some meaning for everything [L One to one to find the sum/scheme of things].
28 While I was searching and not finding,
    I found one man among a thousand.
But I did not find a woman among all these [C that is a good woman].
29 One thing I have ·learned [L found]:
God made people ·good [virtuous; upright],
but they have ·found all kinds of ways to be bad [L sought out many devices].”

Bible Gateway Recommends