{"book":"Ecclesiastes","slug":"ecclesiastes","ch":7,"genre":"list","sub":"Ecclesiastes","prev":"ecclesiastes/6","next":"ecclesiastes/8","verses":[{"v":1,"t":"A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death [is better] than his day of birth.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"A good name is better than fine perfume,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and one’s day of death [is better] than his day of birth."}],"h":"The Value of Wisdom","style":"indent1stline"},{"v":2,"t":"It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since [death] [is] the end of every man, and the living should take [this] to heart.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"It is better to enter a house of mourning"},{"style":"indent2","t":"than a house of feasting,"},{"style":"indent1","t":"since [death] [is] the end of every man,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and the living should take [this] to heart."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":3,"t":"Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Sorrow is better than laughter,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"for a sad countenance is good for the heart."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":4,"t":"The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":5,"t":"It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke"},{"style":"indent2","t":"than to listen to the song of fools."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":6,"t":"For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"For like the crackling of thorns under the pot,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":7,"t":"Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and a bribe corrupts the heart."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":8,"t":"The end of a matter is better than the beginning, [and] a patient spirit is better than a proud [one].","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"The end of a matter is better than the beginning,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"[and] a patient spirit is better than a proud [one]."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":9,"t":"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.","f":["Hebrew in the bosom of fools"],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"for anger settles in the lap of a fool."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":10,"t":"Do not say,“ Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"Do not say,“ Why were the old days better than these?”"},{"style":"indent2","t":"For it is unwise of you to ask about this."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":11,"t":"Wisdom, like an inheritance, [is] good, and it benefits those who see the sun.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Wisdom, like an inheritance, [is] good,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and it benefits those who see the sun."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":12,"t":"For wisdom, like money, [is] a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"For wisdom, like money, [is] a shelter,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and the advantage of knowledge"},{"style":"indent2","t":"is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":13,"t":"Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Consider the work of God:"},{"style":"indent2","t":"Who can straighten what He has bent?"}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":14,"t":"In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one [of these] along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"In the day of prosperity, be joyful,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"but in the day of adversity, consider this:"},{"style":"indent1","t":"God has made one [of these] along with the other,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"so that a man cannot discover"},{"style":"indent2","t":"anything that will come after him."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":15,"t":"In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, [and] a wicked man living long in his wickedness.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"reg","t":"In my futile life I have seen both of these:"},{"style":"list1stline","t":"A righteous man perishing in his righteousness,"},{"style":"list1","t":"[and] a wicked man living long in his wickedness."}],"h":"The Limits of Human Wisdom","style":"reg"},{"v":16,"t":"Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":17,"t":"Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?","f":[]},{"v":18,"t":"It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both [warnings].","f":["Or will avoid all extremes"]},{"v":19,"t":"Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1stline","t":"Wisdom makes the wise man"},{"style":"indent2","t":"stronger than ten rulers in a city."}],"style":"indent1stline"},{"v":20,"t":"Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"Surely there is no righteous man on earth"},{"style":"indent2","t":"who does good and never sins."}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":21,"t":"Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":22,"t":"For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.","f":[]},{"v":23,"t":"All this I tested by wisdom, [saying],“ I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":24,"t":"What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?","f":[]},{"v":25,"t":"I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":26,"t":"And I find more bitter than death the woman who [is] a snare, whose heart [is] a net, and whose hands [are] chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.","f":[]},{"v":27,"t":"“ Behold,” says the Teacher,“ I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":28,"t":"While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one [upright] man, but among all these I have not found [one such] woman.","f":[]},{"v":29,"t":"Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”","f":[]}]}