Ecclesiastes 6 – Ecclesiastes 10
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 – Chapter 12
1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men: 2a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. 3If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he: 4for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness; 5moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other: 6yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place? 7All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? [or] what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. 10 Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is know what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he. 11Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? 12For who knoweth what is good for man in [his] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
1A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one’s birth. 2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad. 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 7Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding. 8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. 11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun. 12For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it. 13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? 14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him. 15All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing. 16Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? 17Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? 18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all. 19Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city. 20Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 21Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee; 22for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 23All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. 24That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out? 25I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness. 26And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account; 28which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 29Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
1Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2I [counsel thee], Keep the king’s command, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3Be not hasty to go out of his presence; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4For the king’s word [hath] power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man’s heart discerneth time and judgment: 6for to every purpose there is a time and judgment; because the misery of man is great upon him: 7for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be? 8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it. 9All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: [there is] a time wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt. 10So I saw the wicked buried, and they came [to the grave]; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity. 11Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him: 13but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. 14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. 15Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor [all] the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun. 16When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes), 17then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
1For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them. 2All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead. 4For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun. 7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works. 8Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun. 10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. 11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. 13I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me: 14There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. 15Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.
1Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; [so] doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. 2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. 3Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one [that] he is a fool. 4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences. 5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler: 6folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. 7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth. 8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him. 9Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; [and] he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby. 10If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. 11If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer. 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 14A fool also multiplieth words: [yet] man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him? 15The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city. 16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. 19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things. 20Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
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