71 A good name is better than a good ointment , And the day of one's death is better 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 , Because that is the end of every man , And the living takes it to heart . 3 Sorrow is better than laughter , For when a face is sad a heart may be happy . 4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning , While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure . 5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools . 6 For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot , So is the laughter of the fool ; And this too is futility .
7 For oppression makes a wise man mad , And a bribe corrupts the heart . 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning ; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit . 9 Do not be eager in your heart to be angry , For anger resides in the bosom of fools . 10 Do not say , "Why is it that the former days were better than these ?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this .
11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage to those who see the sun . 12 For wisdom is protection just as money is protection , But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors . 13 Consider the work of God , For who is able to straighten what He has bent ? 14 In the day of prosperity be happy , But in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other So e that man will not discover anything that will be after him. 15 I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility ; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness . 16 Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise . Why should you ruin yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool . Why should you die before your time ? 18 It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let e go e of the other ; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. 19 Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city . 20 Indeed , there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins . 21 Also , do not take seriously all words which are spoken , so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. 22 For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others .
23 I tested all this with wisdom , and I said , "I will be wise ," but it was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious . Who can discover it? 25 I directed my mind to know , to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation , and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness . 26 And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets , whose hands are chains . One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27 "Behold , I have discovered this ," says the Preacher , "adding one thing to another to find an explanation , 28 which I am still seeking but have not found . I have found one man among a thousand , but I have not found a woman among all these . 29 "Behold , I have found only this , that God made men upright , but they have sought out many devices ."
81 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter ? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam . 2 I say, "Keep the command of the king because e of the oath before God . 3 "Do not be in a hurry to leave e him. Do not join in an evil matter , for he will do whatever e he pleases ." 4 Since the word of the king is authoritative , who will say to him, "What are you doing ?" 5 He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble , for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure .
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight , though a man's trouble is heavy upon him. 7 If no one knows what will happen , who can tell him when it will happen ? 8 No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind , or authority over the day of death ; and there is no discharge in the time of war , and evil will not deliver those who practice it.
9 All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt .
10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried , those who used to go in and out from the holy place , and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus . This too is futility . 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly , therefore e the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil . 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still e I know that it will be well for those who fear God , who fear Him openly e . 13 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow , because he does not fear God .
14 There is futility which is done on the earth , that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked . On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous . I say that this too is futility . 15 So I commended pleasure , for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except e to eat and to drink and to be merry , and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun . 16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep e e day or night ), 17 and I saw every work of God , I concluded that man cannot e discover the work which has been done under the sun . Even though e man should seek laboriously , he will not discover ; and though the wise man should say , "I know ," he cannot e discover .
91 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men , wise men , and their deeds are in the hand of God . Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred ; anything awaits him. 2 It is the same for all . There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked ; for the good , for the clean and for the unclean ; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice . As the good man is, so is the sinner ; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear . 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun , that there is one fate for all men . Furthermore , the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives . Afterwards they go to the dead .
4 For whoever e is joined with all the living , there is hope ; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion . 5 For the living know they will die ; but the dead do not know anything , nor have they any longer a reward , for their memory is forgotten . 6 Indeed their love , their hate and their zeal have already perished , and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun . 7 Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart ; for God has already approved your works . 8 Let your clothes be white all the time , and let not oil be lacking on your head . 9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun ; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun . 10 Whatever e your hand finds to do , do it with all your might ; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where e you are going .
11 I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors , and neither e is bread to the wise nor e wealth to the discerning nor e favor to men of ability ; for time and chance overtake them all . 12 Moreover e , man does not know his time : like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare , so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.
13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun , and it impressed me. 14 There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom . Yet no one remembered that poor man . 16 So I said , " Wisdom is better than strength ." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded . 17 The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools . 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war , but one sinner destroys much good .
131 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES . 2 I have previously said when present the second time , and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, 3 since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness , yet He lives because of the power of God . For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. 5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith ; examine yourselves ! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves , that Jesus Christ is in you-unless e indeed you fail the test ? 6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test .
7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong ; not that we ourselves may appear approved , but that you may do what is right , even though we may appear e unapproved . 8 For we can do nothing e against the truth , but only for the truth . 9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong ; this we also pray for, that you be made complete . 10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent , so that when present I need not use severity , in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down .
11 Finally , brethren , rejoice , be made complete , be comforted , be like-minded , live in peace ; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss . 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ , and the love of God , and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit , be with you all .
