Ecclesiastes 7:1-12 ▼

1 <V 7:2>A good name is better than precious ointments, and a day of death is better than a day of birth.

2 <V 7:3>It is better to go to a house of mourning, than to a house of feasting. For in the former, we are admonished about the end of all things, so that the living consider what may be in the future.

3 <V 7:4>Anger is better than laughter. For through the sadness of the countenance, the soul of one who offends may be corrected.

4 <V 7:5>The heart of the wise is a place of mourning, and the heart of the foolish is a place of rejoicing.

5 <V 7:6>It is better to be corrected by a wise man, than to be deceived by the false praise of the foolish.

6 <V 7:7>For, like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of the foolish. But this, too, is emptiness.

7 <V 7:8>A false accusation troubles the wise man and saps the strength of his heart.

8 <V 7:9>The end of a speech is better than the beginning. Patience is better than arrogance.

9 <V 7:10>Do not be quickly moved to anger. For anger resides in the sinews of the foolish.

10 <V 7:11>You should not say: “What do you think is the reason that the former times were better than they are now?” For this type of question is foolish.

11 <V 7:12>Wisdom with riches is more useful and more advantageous, for those who see the sun.

12 <V 7:13>For as wisdom protects, so also does money protect. But learning and wisdom have this much more: that they grant life to one who possesses them.