Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than precious oil, and the day of death, better than the day of one's birth.
[Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; inasmuch as that is the end of all men: and let the living lay it to his heart.
It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
3 Better is vexation than laughing; for through the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of joy.
Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than that a man should hear the song of fools.
It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. Also this is vanity.
By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
7 For [exercising] oppression maketh a wise man mad; and bribery corrupteth the heart.
When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: better is the patient in spirit than the proud in spirit.
Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
9 Be not rash in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in bosom of fools.
Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
10 Thou must not say, How was it that the former days were better than these? for it is not out of wisdom that thou askest concerning this.
Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
11 Wisdom is better than an inheritance, yea, preferable for those that see the sun;
Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
12 For under the shadow of wisdom [a man is equally well as] under the shadow of money; but the superior excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to him that possesseth it.
We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
13 Consider [then] the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?
Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
14 On the day of prosperity be happy, but on the day of adversity look on: also this hath God made in equal measure with the other, to the end that man should not find the least to censure him.
When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is many a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is many a wicked man that liveth long in his wickedness.—
During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
16 Be not righteous over much; neither show thyself over wise: why wouldst thou destroy thyself?
[So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
17 Be not wicked over much, and be no fool: why wouldst thou die before thy time?
If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
18 It is good that thou shouldst take hold of that, and that also from this thou withdraw not thy hand; for he that feareth God will come forth out of them all.
Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
19 Wisdom giveth more strength to the wise than ten rulers which were in the city.
If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
20 For no man is so righteous upon earth, that he should do always good, and never sin.—
There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
21 Also take no heed unto all the words that are spoken: lest thou hear thy servant cursing thee.
Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22 For oftentimes also doth thy own heart know that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.—
You know that you have also cursed other people.
23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
24 Far is what formerly was so, and what was deep remaineth deep: who can find it out?
Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
25 Then I turned myself about together with my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and experience, and to know the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness.
But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
26 And I find as more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are bonds: he that is deemed good before God will escape from her; but the sinner will be caught by her.
[One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
27 Behold, this have I found, saith Koheleth, [adding] one to the other, to find experience,
This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
28 What my soul constantly sought, but I found it not; one man among a thousand did I find; but a woman among all these did I not find.
and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
29 Lo, this only did I find, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought for many [sinful] devices.
[But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
