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 oil of great price, and the day of death than the 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 go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
3 Anger is better then laughter: for by a sad looke the heart is made better.
Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.
The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
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 take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
6 For like ye noyse of the thornes vnder the pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie.
Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and the rewarde destroyeth the heart.
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of 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 thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Be not thou of an hastie spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles.
Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Say not thou, Why is it that the former dayes were better then these? for thou doest not enquire wisely of this thing.
Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Wisedome is good with an inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sunne.
Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to 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.
Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Beholde the worke of God: for who can make straight that which he hath made crooked?
Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made 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 wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be 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.
These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
16 Be not thou iust ouermuch, neither make thy selfe ouerwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Be not thou wicked ouermuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time?
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end 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 take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
19 Wisedome shall strengthen the wise man more then ten mightie princes that are in ye citie.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 Surely there is no man iust in the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 Giue not thine heart also to all ye wordes that men speake, lest thou doe heare thy seruant cursing thee.
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 For often times also thine heart knoweth that thou likewise hast cursed others.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 All this haue I prooued by wisedome: I thought I will be wise, but it went farre from me.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 It is farre off, what may it be? and it is a profound deepenesse, who can finde it?
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of 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 gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
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 saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 Beholde, sayth the Preacher, this haue I found, seeking one by one to finde the count:
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
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.
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
29 Onely loe, this haue I founde, that God hath made man righteous: but they haue sought many inuentions.
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
