| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | New Living Translation |
| 1[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 1A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. |
| 2[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 2Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. |
| 3[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 3Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. |
| 4[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 4A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. |
| 5[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 5Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool. |
| 6[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 6A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless. |
| 7[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 7Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart. |
| 8[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 8Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. |
| 9[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 9Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. |
| 10[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 10Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. |
| 11[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 11Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. |
| 12[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 12Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life. |
| 13[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 13Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? |
| 14[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 14Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. The Limits of Human Wisdom |
| 15[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 15I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. |
| 16[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 16So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? |
| 17[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 17On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? |
| 18[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 18Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. |
| 19[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 19One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town! |
| 20[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 20Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. |
| 21[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 21Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. |
| 22[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 22For you know how often you yourself have cursed others. |
| 23[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 23I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. |
| 24[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 24Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. |
| 25[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 25I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness. |
| 26[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 26I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare. |
| 27[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 27“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. |
| 28[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 28Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! |
| 29[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 29But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” |
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
    |