Ecclesiastes 7

Wisdom's Superiority to Folly Ecclesiastes 7:5–12

⁵Verse 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. ⁶Verse 6. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. ⁷Verse 7. Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding. ⁸Verse 8. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. ⁹Verse 9. Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. ¹⁰Verse 10. Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

¹¹Verse 11. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun. ¹²Verse 12. For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

God's Sovereignty and Human Limits Ecclesiastes 7:13–18

¹³Verse 13. Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked? ¹⁴Verse 14. In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him. ¹⁵Verse 15. All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing. ¹⁶Verse 16. Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

¹⁷Verse 17. Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸Verse 18. It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don’t withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

The Nature of Righteousness Ecclesiastes 7:19–22

¹⁹Verse 19. Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰Verse 20. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin. ²¹Verse 21. Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you; ²²Verse 22. for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.

Pursuit of Wisdom and Understanding Ecclesiastes 7:23–29

²³Verse 23. All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me. ²⁴Verse 24. That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out? ²⁵Verse 25. I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness. ²⁶Verse 26. I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

²⁷Verse 27. “Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find out the scheme; ²⁸Verse 28. which my soul still seeks; but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand; but I have not found a woman among all those. ²⁹Verse 29. Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”