Ecclesiastes 7
1 [Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
A good reputation is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you were born.
2 It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
It's better to go to a funeral than to a party. In the end, everyone dies, and those who are still alive should think about it.
3 It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
Sorrow is better than laughter, for tragedy helps us by making us think.
4 Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
Wise people think about the impact of death, while those who are fools only think about having a good time.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
It's better to listen to criticism from a wise person than to hear the song of fools.
6 By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
The laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorn twigs burning under a pot—without sense and quickly over.
7 When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
Extorting money from others makes wise people into fools, and accepting bribes corrupts the mind.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Completing something is better than starting it. Being patient is better than being proud.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Don't be quick to get angry, for anger controls the minds of fools.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Don't ask, “Why were the good old days better than now?” Asking such questions shows you are not wise.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Wisdom is good—it's like receiving an inheritance. It benefits everyone in life.
12 We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
For wisdom provides security, as does money, but the advantage for those who have wisdom is that they are kept safe and sound!
13 Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
Think about what God does. If he makes something bent, you can't straighten it!
14 When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
On a good day, be happy. When a bad day comes, stop and think. God made each day, so you don't know what will happen to you next.
15 During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
Throughout my life I've seen so much that is hard to understand. Good people who die young despite doing what is right, and wicked people who live long evil lives.
16 [So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
Don't think you can make yourself right by a lot of religious observance, and don't pretend to be so wise. Do you want to destroy yourself?
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
On the other hand, don't decide to live an evil life—don't be a fool! Why die before your time?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
You ought to keep in mind these warnings. Those who follow God will be sure to avoid both.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Wisdom gives a wise person greater power than ten town councilors.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
There's not one good person in all the world who always does what is right and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Don't take to heart everything that people say, otherwise you may hear your servant talking badly about you,
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
for you know how many times you yourself have talked badly about others!
23 I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
I have examined all this using the principles of wisdom. I told myself, “I will think wisely.” But wisdom eluded me.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Everything that exists is beyond our grasp—too deep for our understanding. Who can comprehend it?
25 But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
I turned my thoughts to discover, investigate, and to find out more about wisdom and what makes sense. I wanted to know more about how stupid evil really is, and how ridiculous it is to be a fool.
26 [One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
I discovered something more horrible than death: foolishness like a woman who tries to entrap you, who wants to use her mind and hands to catch you and tie you up. Those who follow God will not be caught, but sinners will fall into her trap.
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
This is what I discovered after putting two and two together to try and find out what it all meant, says the Teacher.
28 and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
Although I really searched, I didn't find what I was looking for. People say, “I found one man among a thousand, but not one woman.”
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
But I did find this one thing: God made people to do what's right, but they have followed their own ideas.
