Ecclesiastes 7:3-20

³Ire is better than laughing; for the soul of a trespasser is amended by the heaviness of (his) cheer.

⁴The heart of wise men is where sorrow is; and the heart of fools is where folly gladness is.

⁵It is better to be reproved of a wise man, than to be deceived by the flattering of fools; (It is better to be rebuked by a wise person, than to be deceived by the flattery of fools;)

⁶for as the sound of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughing of a fool. But also this is vanity. (for the sound of thorns burning under a pot, is like the laughter of a fool. But this is also empty and futile.)

⁷False challenge troubleth a wise man, and it shall lose the strength of his heart. (Untrue words, that is, lies and slander, trouble a wise person, and they shall destroy the strength of his heart, that is, his resolve or his determination.)

⁸Forsooth the end of prayer is better than the beginning. A patient man is better than a proud man.

⁹Be thou not swift to be wroth; for ire resteth in the bosom of a fool. (Do not thou be quick to get angry; for anger lieth in the heart of a fool.)

¹⁰Say thou not, What guessest thou is the cause, that the former times were better than be now? for why such asking is fond (or for such questioning is foolish).

¹¹Forsooth wisdom with riches is more profitable, and profiteth more to men seeing the sun. (For wisdom is more profitable than riches, and profiteth all who see the sun.)

¹²For as wisdom defendeth, so money defendeth; but learning and wisdom have this moreover, that those give life to them that have them. (For like wisdom defendeth, so money defendeth; but learning and wisdom have this as well, that they give life to those who have them.)

¹³Behold thou the works of God, and see that no man may amend him, whom God hath despised.

¹⁴In a good day use thou (thy) goods, and before eschew thou an evil day, (or On a good day, enjoy thy good things, but shun thou them on an evil day); for God made so this day as that day, (so) that a man find not just complainings against him.

¹⁵Also I saw these things in the days of my nativity; a just man perisheth in his rightfulness, and a wicked man liveth much time in his malice. (And I have seen these things since the day of my birth or in all my empty and futile days; a righteous person perisheth in his righteousness, and a wicked person liveth a great deal of time in his malice.)

¹⁶Do not thou be just over much, neither understand thou more than is needful; lest thou be astonied. (Do not thou be too good, nor understand thou more than is useful; lest thou be regarded with contempt, or with derision.)

¹⁷Do thou not wickedly much, and do not thou be a fool; lest thou die in a time not thine. (Do not thou do many wicked things, and do not be a fool; lest thou die before thy time.)

¹⁸It is good, that thou sustain a just man; but also withdraw thou not thine hand from him; for he that dreadeth God, is not negligent of anything. (It is good that thou sustain the one, but also do not thou withdraw thy hand from the other; for he who feareth God, is not negligent of anything.)

¹⁹Wisdom hath strengthened a wise man, over ten princes of a city. (Wisdom can strengthen the wise, more than ten leaders of a city.)

²⁰Forsooth no just man there is in the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (But there is no righteous person in the earth who only, or who always, doeth good, and never sinneth.)