Ecclesiastes 7:1-9 ▼

1 A good name is better than good ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, For that is the end of every mortal, and the living should take it to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter; when the face is sad, the heart grows wise.

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

5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than to listen to the song of fools;

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the fool’s laughter. This also is vanity.

7 Extortion can make a fool out of the wise, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a lofty one.

9 Do not let anger upset your spirit, for anger lodges in the bosom of a fool.