Ecclesiastes · Young's Literal Translation
Ecclesiastes 7 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
2 Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
2 It 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 should take this to heart.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
9 Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not thou, 'What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.
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.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
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.
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
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.
16 Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
18 [It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
19 The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
21 Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
22 For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it [is] far from me.
23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
24 Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
25 I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
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.
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
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.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
27 “Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
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.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they — they have sought out many devices.
29 Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Revelation 14:13; Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 4:2; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21–23
- 2 Psalm 90:12; Hebrews 9:27; Deuteronomy 32:29; Deuteronomy 32:46; Philippians 3:19
- 3 2 Corinthians 7:9–11; Romans 5:3–4; James 4:8–10; John 16:20–22; Hebrews 12:10–11
- 4 Matthew 8:14–16; Luke 7:12–13; 1 Samuel 25:36; Nehemiah 2:2–5; Jeremiah 51:39
- 5 Proverbs 15:31–32; Psalm 141:5; Revelation 3:19; Proverbs 13:18; Proverbs 17:10
- 6 Psalm 58:9; Psalm 118:12; Ecclesiastes 2:2; Luke 6:25; Jude 12–13
- 7 Deuteronomy 16:19; Exodus 23:8; Proverbs 17:23; Ecclesiastes 4:1; Isaiah 1:23
- 8 Hebrews 10:36; Psalm 126:5–6; Proverbs 14:29; 1 Peter 1:13; James 5:11
- 9 James 1:19; Proverbs 14:17; Proverbs 16:32; Ephesians 4:26–27; Proverbs 26:23–26
- 10 Psalm 14:2–3; Genesis 6:11–12; Romans 1:22–32; Isaiah 50:1; Judges 6:13
- 11 Ecclesiastes 11:7; 1 Timothy 6:17–19; Proverbs 8:10–11; Ecclesiastes 2:13; Ecclesiastes 9:15–18
- 12 Proverbs 8:35; Proverbs 2:7; Proverbs 3:18; Proverbs 11:4; Judges 9:15
- 13 Ecclesiastes 1:15; Job 12:14; Psalm 107:43; Isaiah 14:27; Ecclesiastes 3:11
- 14 Ecclesiastes 3:4; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Deuteronomy 8:3; Ecclesiastes 12:13; James 5:13
- 15 Ecclesiastes 8:12–14; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Psalm 73:3–13; Matthew 23:34–35; Ecclesiastes 9:1–2
- 16 Romans 12:3; Proverbs 25:16; Colossians 2:18; James 3:13–17; Matthew 6:1–7
- 17 Proverbs 10:27; Job 22:16; Psalm 55:23; Acts 12:23; Acts 5:10
- 18 Ecclesiastes 12:13; Ecclesiastes 11:6; Malachi 4:2; Ecclesiastes 8:12; Luke 1:50
- 19 Proverbs 21:22; Colossians 1:9–11; Ecclesiastes 9:13–18; Proverbs 24:5; 2 Samuel 20:16–22
- 20 Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6; 1 John 1:8–10; James 3:2; Proverbs 20:9
- 21 Proverbs 30:10; Isaiah 29:21; 2 Samuel 16:10; 2 Samuel 19:19; 1 Corinthians 13:5–7
- 22 James 3:9; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 18:32–35; 1 Kings 2:44; John 8:7–9
- 23 Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 1:20; Genesis 3:5; 1 Kings 11:1–8; 1 Kings 3:11–12
- 24 Romans 11:33; Isaiah 55:8–9; 1 Timothy 6:16; Psalm 139:6; Job 28:28
- 25 Ecclesiastes 10:13; Joshua 7:13; Ecclesiastes 2:15; Proverbs 17:12; Ecclesiastes 3:16–17
- 26 Proverbs 22:14; Proverbs 5:3–5; Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 2:18–19; Ecclesiastes 2:26
- 27 Ecclesiastes 12:8–10; Ecclesiastes 1:1–2
- 28 Job 33:23; Psalm 12:1; 1 Kings 11:1–3; Isaiah 26:9; Ecclesiastes 7:23–24
- 29 Jeremiah 4:22; Genesis 6:11–12; Mark 7:8–9; Titus 3:3; Genesis 5:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… about eating and drinking, which he often repeats, and very much commends, does not savor the dainties of carnal pleasures, is made plain enough when he says, "It is better to go into the house of mourning than to go into the house of feasting." And a little after He says, "The heart of the wise is in the house …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For God, according to the Preacher, made man upright, and they have themselves sought out many inventions.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
… is better to go into the house of mourning than to go into the house of feasting." And a little after He says, "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of the simple in the house of feasting." But I think that more worthy of quotation from this book which relates to both …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)