Ecclesiastes 7:1-9 ▼

1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth.

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.

3 Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools,

6 for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

7 Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe destroys the mind.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.

9 Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.