Ecclesiastes 7:1-17

¹A good name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one’s birth.

²It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

³Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

⁵It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

⁶For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

⁷Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

⁸Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

⁹Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

¹⁰Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

¹¹Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.

¹²For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.

¹³Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

¹⁴In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him.

¹⁵All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing.

¹⁶Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

¹⁷Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?