Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better then a good oyntment, and the day of death, then the day that one is borne.
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting, because this is the ende of all men: and the liuing shall lay it to his heart.
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.
3 Anger is better then laughter: for by a sad looke the heart is made better.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 Better it is to heare ye rebuke of a wise man, then that a man should heare the song of fooles.
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
6 For like ye noyse of the thornes vnder the pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie.
For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and the rewarde destroyeth the heart.
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 The ende of a thing is better then the beginning thereof, and the pacient in spirit is better then the proude in spirit.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 Be not thou of an hastie spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 Say not thou, Why is it that the former dayes were better then these? for thou doest not enquire wisely of this thing.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 Wisedome is good with an inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sunne.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 For man shall rest in the shadowe of wisedome, and in the shadowe of siluer: but the excellencie of the knowledge of wisedome giueth life to the possessers thereof.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 Beholde the worke of God: for who can make straight that which he hath made crooked?
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man shoulde finde nothing after him.
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.
15 I haue seene all things in the dayes of my vanitie: there is a iust man that perisheth in his iustice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice.
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.
16 Be not thou iust ouermuch, neither make thy selfe ouerwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Be not thou wicked ouermuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time?
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 It is good that thou lay hold on this: but yet withdrawe not thine hand from that: for he that feareth God, shall come forth of them all.
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.
19 Wisedome shall strengthen the wise man more then ten mightie princes that are in ye citie.
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 Surely there is no man iust in the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Giue not thine heart also to all ye wordes that men speake, lest thou doe heare thy seruant cursing thee.
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
22 For often times also thine heart knoweth that thou likewise hast cursed others.
For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this haue I prooued by wisedome: I thought I will be wise, but it went farre from me.
All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
24 It is farre off, what may it be? and it is a profound deepenesse, who can finde it?
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 I haue compassed about, both I and mine heart to knowe and to enquire and to search wisedome, and reason, and to knowe the wickednesse of follie, and the foolishnesse of madnesse,
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.
26 And I finde more bitter then death the woman whose heart is as nettes and snares, and her handes, as bands: he that is good before God, shalbe deliuered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.
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.
27 Beholde, sayth the Preacher, this haue I found, seeking one by one to finde the count:
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
28 And yet my soule seeketh, but I finde it not: I haue found one man of a thousand: but a woman among them all haue I not founde.
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.
29 Onely loe, this haue I founde, that God hath made man righteous: but they haue sought many inuentions.
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
