Ecclesiastes 7:15-25

¹⁵Also I saw these things in the days of my nativity; a just or rightwise man perisheth in his rightfulness or rightwiseness, and a wicked man liveth much time in his malice.

¹⁶Do not thou be just or rightwise over much, neither understand thou more than is needful; lest thou be astonied.

¹⁷Do thou not wickedly much, and do not thou be a fool; lest thou die in a time not thine.

¹⁸It is good, that thou sustain a just or rightwise man; but also withdraw thou not thine hand from him; for he that dreadeth God, is not negligent of anything.

¹⁹Wisdom hath strengthened a wise man, over ten princes of a city.

²⁰Forsooth no just or rightwise man there is in the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

²¹But also give thou not thine heart to all words, that be said; lest peradventure thou hear thy servant cursing thee;

²²for thy conscience knoweth, that also thou hast cursed oft other men.

²³I assayed all things in wisdom; I said, I shall be made wise, and it went away further from me,

²⁴much more than it was; and the depth is low, who shall find it?

²⁵I compassed all things with my soul, to know, and to behold, and seek wisdom, and reason, and to know the wickedness of a fool, and the error of unprudent men.