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Ecclesiastes 7
Expanded Bible
Ecclesiastes 7
Expanded Bible
Some Benefits of Serious Thinking
7 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.
2 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].
3 ·Sorrow [or Anger] is better than laughter,
and ·sadness has a good influence on you [in a troubled face the heart is made well].
4 ·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].
5 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].
6 The laughter of fools
is like the crackling of thorns ·in a cooking fire [L under the pot].
Both are useless [1:2].
7 Even wise people are fools
if they let ·money change their thinking [L a bribe distort their understanding].
8 It is better to ·finish [end] something
than to ·start [begin] it.
It is better to be patient
than to be proud.
9 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].”
Ecclesiastes 7
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 7
New International Version
Wisdom
7 A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(C) is the destiny(D) of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
3 Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
5 It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
so is the laughter(I) of fools.
This too is meaningless.
7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe(J) corrupts the heart.
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience(K) is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked(L) in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.(M)
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(N) better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(O)
and benefits those who see the sun.(P)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves those who have it.
13 Consider what God has done:(Q)
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?(R)
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.(S)
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.
15 In this meaningless life(T) of mine I have seen both of these:
the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(U)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?(V)
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God(W) will avoid all extremes.[a]
20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(Z)
no one who does what is right and never sins.(AA)
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you(AB) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”(AC)—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?(AD)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(AE)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.(AF)
26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,(AG)
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.(AH)
27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[b](AI) “this is what I have discovered:
“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28 while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman(AJ) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
- Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
Expanded Bible (EXB)
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