The Reason Wisdom is Needed: The Brevity of Life and Certainty of Death
7:1 A good reputation1
is better2
than precious3
perfume;4
Likewise,5
the day of one’s death6
is better than the day of one’s birth.7
7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning8
than a house of banqueting.9
For death10
is the destiny11
of every person,12
and the living should13
take this to heart.
7:3 Sorrow14
is better than laughter,
because sober reflection15
is good for the heart.16
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merry-making.17
Frivolous Living is Profitless, but Wisdom is Beneficial
7:5 It is better for a man to accept18
a rebuke from wise men19
than to listen to the song20
of fools.
7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns21
under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This foolish laughter also is useless.22
Human Wisdom Can Be Overturned by Adversity
7:7 Surely oppression23
can turn a wise man into a fool,24
likewise,25
a bribe corrupts26
the heart.27
7:8 The end of a matter28
is better than its beginning;
likewise,29
patience30
is better than pride.31
7:9 Do not let yourself become quickly provoked,32
for anger resides in the lap33
of fools.
7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?”
for it is not wise to ask that.34
Wisdom is Beneficial and Can Lengthens One’s Life
7:11 Wisdom, like35
an inheritance, is a good thing;
it benefits those who see the light of day.36
7:12 For wisdom provides37
protection,38
just as money provides protection.39
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the life40
of its possessor.
Wisdom Demands that Man Acknowledge God’s Inscrutable Providential
Orchestration of the Events in Life
7:13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight that which he has made crooked?
7:14 In times of prosperity41
be joyful,
but in times of adversity42
consider this:
God has made one as well as the other,43
so that no one can discover what will happen in the future.44
How to Deal with the Surprising Exceptions to the Law of Retribution
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life I have
seen both45
of these things:
Sometimes46
a righteous man dies prematurely47
in spite of48
his righteousness,
and sometimes49
a wicked man prolongs his life50
in spite of51
his evil-doing.
7:16 So do not be excessively righteous and do
not be excessively52
wise,53
otherwise54
you might55
be dumbfounded.56
7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool,
otherwise57
you might die before your time.
7:18 It is best to grasp one warning without letting
go of the other warning;58
For the one who fears God will follow59
both warnings.60
Wisdom is Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise man more protection61
than ten military rulers in a city.
7:20 Because62
there is not one truly righteous man on all the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say,
otherwise,63
you might even hear64
your servant reviling you.
7:22 For you know in your own heart65
that you also have reviled others many times.
The Limitations of Human Wisdom
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I had said, “I am determined66
to comprehend this”67
- but it was beyond my grasp.68
7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond man’s
understanding;69
It is far deeper than man can fathom.70
True Moral Righteousness and Wisdom are Virtually Non-Existence
7:25 I turned my mind71
to try to understand, examine, and comprehend72
the role of wisdom in the scheme of things;73
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness74
and the insanity of folly.75
7:26 I discovered this:
More bitter than death is the kind of woman76
who is like a hunter’s snare,77
her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like a 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 one upright 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 mankind upright,
but they both man and woman have sought many evil schemes.