NASB | ESV
 

ECCLESIASTES 7

« Ecclesiastes 6 | Ecclesiastes 7 | Ecclesiastes 8 »

The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly
7:1
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5
It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
6
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.
7
Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
10
Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11
Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.
12
For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13
Consider the work of God:
who can make straight what he has made crooked?

    
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
    
15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.
    
19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
    
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
    
21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
    
23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
    
25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.



PSALM 49

« Psalm 48 | Psalm 49 | Psalm 50 »

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
49:1
Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2
both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

5
Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7
Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
8
for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9
that he should live on forever
and never see the pit.

10
For he sees that even the wise die;
the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and leave their wealth to others.
11
Their graves are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they called lands by their own names.
12
Man in his pomp will not remain;
he is like the beasts that perish.

13
This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me. Selah

16
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18
For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again see light.
20
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.



PROVERBS 29

« Proverbs 28 | Proverbs 29 | Proverbs 30 »

29:1
He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
2
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
4
By justice a king builds up the land,
but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
5
A man who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his feet.
6
An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,
but a righteous man sings and rejoices.
7
A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;
a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.
8
Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
9
If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
10
Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless
and seek the life of the upright.
11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.
12
If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.
13
The poor man and the oppressor meet together;
the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
14
If a king faithfully judges the poor,
his throne will be established forever.
15
The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
16
When the wicked increase, transgression increases,
but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
17
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
he will give delight to your heart.
18
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
19
By mere words a servant is not disciplined,
for though he understands, he will not respond.
20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
21
Whoever pampers his servant from childhood
will in the end find him his heir.
22
A man of wrath stirs up strife,
and one given to anger causes much transgression.
23
One’s pride will bring him low,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
24
The partner of a thief hates his own life;
he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.
25
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
26
Many seek the face of a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.
27
An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

ESV® Permanent Text Edition (2016). The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers.

Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

random