7:1 A good reputation 1 is better 2 than precious 3 perfume; 4
likewise, 5 the day of one’s 6 death 7 is better than the day of one’s birth. 8
7:2 It is better to go to a funeral 9
than a feast. 10
For death 11 is the destiny 12 of every person, 13
and the living should 14 take this 15 to heart.
7:3 Sorrow 16 is better than laughter,
because sober reflection 17 is good for the heart. 18
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking. 19
7:5 It is better for a person to receive 20 a rebuke from those who are wise 21
than to listen to the song 22 of fools.
7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns 23 under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly 24 also is useless. 25
7:7 Surely oppression 26 can turn a wise person into a fool; 27
likewise, 28 a bribe corrupts 29 the heart. 30
7:8 The end of a matter 31 is better than its beginning;
likewise, patience 32 is better than pride. 33
7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, 34
for anger resides in the lap 35 of fools.
7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?” 36
for it is not wise to ask that. 37
7:11 Wisdom, like 38 an inheritance, is a good thing;
it benefits those who see the light of day. 39
7:12 For wisdom provides 40 protection, 41
just as 42 money provides protection. 43
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the life 44 of its owner.
7:13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
7:14 In times of prosperity 45 be joyful,
but in times of adversity 46 consider this:
God has made one as well as the other, 47
so that no one can discover what the future holds. 48
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life 49 I have seen both 50 of these things:
Sometimes 51 a righteous person dies prematurely 52 in spite of 53 his righteousness,
and sometimes 54 a wicked person lives long 55 in spite of his evil deeds.
7:16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively 56 wise; 57
otherwise 58 you might 59 be disappointed. 60
7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwise 61 you might die before your time.
7:18 It is best to take hold of one warning 62 without letting go of the other warning; 63
for the one who fears God will follow 64 both warnings. 65
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection 66
than ten rulers in a city.
7:20 For 67 there is not one truly 68 righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people 69 say;
otherwise, 70 you might even hear 71 your servant cursing you.
7:22 For you know in your own heart 72
that you also have cursed others many times.
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determined 73 to comprehend this” 74 – but it was beyond my grasp. 75
7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond human 76 understanding; 77
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom. 78
7:25 I tried 79 to understand, examine, and comprehend 80
the role of 81 wisdom in the scheme of things, 82
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness 83 and the insanity of folly. 84
7:26 I discovered this: 85
More bitter than death is the kind of 86 woman 87 who is like a hunter’s snare; 88
her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains.
The man who pleases God escapes her,
but the sinner is captured by her.
7:27 The Teacher says:
I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.
7:28 What I have continually sought, I have not found;
I have found only 89 one upright 90 man among a thousand,
but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.
7:29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright,
but they have sought many evil schemes.
8:1 Who is 91 a 92 wise person? Who knows the solution 93 to a problem? 94
A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, 95 and softens 96 his harsh countenance. 97
8:2 Obey the king’s command, 98
because you took 99 an oath before God 100 to be loyal to him. 101
8:3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, 102
for he can do whatever he pleases.
8:4 Surely the king’s authority 103 is absolute; 104
no one can say 105 to him, “What are you doing?”
8:5 Whoever obeys his 106 command will not experience harm,
and a wise person 107 knows the proper time 108 and procedure.
8:6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
for the oppression 109 of the king 110 is severe upon his victim. 111
8:7 Surely no one knows the future, 112
and no one can tell another person what will happen. 113
8:8 Just as no one has power over the wind to restrain it, 114
so no one has power over the day of his 115 death.
Just as no one can be discharged during the battle, 116
so wickedness cannot rescue the wicked. 117
8:9 While applying 118 my mind 119 to everything 120 that happens in this world, 121 I have seen all this:
Sometimes one person 122 dominates 123 other people 124 to their harm. 125
8:10 Not only that, 126 but I have seen the wicked approaching 127 and entering the temple, 128
and as they left the holy temple, 129 they
boasted 130 in the city that they had done so.
This also is an enigma. 131
8:11 When 132 a sentence 133 is not executed 134 at once against a crime, 135
the human heart 136 is encouraged to do evil. 137
8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes 138 and still live a long time, 139
yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people 140 – for they stand in fear 141 before him.
8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,
nor will they 142 prolong their 143 days like a shadow, 144
because they 145 do not stand in fear 146 before God.
8:14 Here is 147 another 148 enigma 149 that occurs on earth:
Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, 150
and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. 151
I said, “This also is an enigma.”
8:15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life, 152
for there is nothing better on earth 153 for a person to do 154 except 155 to eat, drink, and enjoy 156 life. 157
So 158 joy 159 will accompany him in his toil
during the days of his life which God gives him on earth. 160
8:16 When I tried 161 to gain 162 wisdom
and to observe the activity 163 on earth –
even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night 164 –
8:17 then I discerned all that God has done: 165
No one really comprehends what happens 166 on earth. 167
Despite all human 168 efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp 169 it. 170
Even if 171 a wise person claimed 172 that he understood,
he would not really comprehend 173 it. 174
9:1 So I reflected on all this, 175 attempting to clear 176 it all up.
I concluded that 177 the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated 178 –
no one knows what lies ahead. 179
9:2 Everyone shares the same fate 180 –
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad, 181
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; 182
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
9:3 This is the unfortunate fact 183 about everything that happens on earth: 184
the same fate awaits 185 everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all people 186 are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die. 187
9:4 But whoever is among 188 the living 189 has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears. 190
9:6 What they loved, 191 as well as what they hated 192 and envied, 193 perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. 194
9:7 Go, eat your food 195 with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
9:8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9:9 Enjoy 196 life with your beloved wife 197 during all the days of your fleeting 198 life
that God 199 has given you on earth 200 during all your fleeting days; 201
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work 202 on earth. 203
9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, 204
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, 205
the place where you will eventually go. 206
9:11 Again, 207 I observed this on the earth: 208
the race is not always 209 won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity 210 does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success 211 always come to those with the most knowledge –
for time and chance may overcome 212 them all.
9:12 Surely, no one 213 knows his appointed time! 214
Like fish that are caught in a deadly 215 net, and like birds that are caught in a snare –
just like them, all people 216 are ensnared 217 at an unfortunate 218 time that falls upon them suddenly.
9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, 219
and it is a great burden 220 to me:
9:14 There was once 221 a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging 222 it and building strong 223 siege works against it.
9:15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, 224
and he could have delivered 225 the city by his wisdom,
but no one listened 226 to that poor man.
9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, 227
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens 228 to his advice. 229
9:17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard 230 among fools.
9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.