Ecclesiastes 7
1 [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.
Better a name, than precious ointment, —and the day of death, than the day of one’s birth.
2 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.
Better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of banqueting, for, that, is the end of all men, —and, the living, should take it to his heart.
3 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].
Better is grief than laughter, —for, by the marring of the face, amended is the heart.
4 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.
The heart of the wise, is in the house of mourning, but, the heart of dullards, in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for any man to hear the song of dullards,
6 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.
For, as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so, is the laughter of the dullard, —even this, then, was vanity.
7 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.
For, oppression, maddeneth the wise, —and a bribe, destroyeth the understanding.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Better the latter end of a thing, than the beginning thereof, —Better a patient spirit, than a haughty spirit.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Do not be rash in thy spirit, to be indignant, —for, indignation, in the bosom of dullards, doth remain.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Do not say, What hath happened, that, the former days, were better than these? for, not wisely, askest thou concerning this.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Good is wisdom, with an inheritance, —and a profit, to such as see the sun.
12 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.
For, a protection, is wisdom, and, a protection, is silver, —but, the advantage of knowledge, is, that, wisdom, giveth life to the possessors thereof.
13 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.
Consider the work of God, —for who can straighten what he hath bent?
14 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.
In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but, in the day of misfortune, consider, —Even the one equally with the other, hath God made, to the end man might find out—after him—nothing.
15 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.
Everything, had I seen, in my days of vanity, —Here was a righteous man, perishing in his righteousness, and there was a lawless man, continuing long in his wickedness.
16 [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.
Do not become so very righteous, neither count thyself wise beyond measure, —wherefore shouldst thou destroy thyself?
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Do not be so very lawless, neither become thou foolish, —wherefore shouldst thou die, before thy time?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
It is well that thou shouldst lay fast hold of this, but, even from the other, do not withdraw thy hand, —for, he that revereth God, shall come forth out of them all.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Wisdom, bringeth more strength to a wise man, than ten heroes, that are in the city.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
For, as for men, there is none righteous in the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Moreover, not to all the words which men speak, do thou apply thy heart, —lest thou hear thine own servant reviling thee!
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
For truly, many times, thy heart knoweth, —that, even thou thyself, hast reviled others.
23 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.
All this, have I proved by wisdom, —I said, I will be wise, but, that, was far from me.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Far away, is that which hath been, —and deep, deep, who can find it out?
25 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.
Resolved, I, in my heart, to know and search out, and to seek wisdom, and a conclusion, —and to know lawlessness [to be] stupidity, and folly to be madness.
26 [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.
I, could indeed find, to be, more bitter than death, the woman, whose heart is, snares and nets, and her hands, bonds, —whoso is pleasing before God, shall escape from her, but, he that sinneth, shall be captured by her.
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
See! this, have I found, saith the Proclaimer [counting] one by one, to find a conclusion;
28 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.
what my soul still sought, yet I found not, —one man out of a thousand, have I found, but, a woman among all these, have I not found.
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
Only, see, this, have I found, That God made man upright, but, they, have sought out many devices.
