A agood name is better than a good ointment, And the bday of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.
2It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because 1that is the aend of every man, And the living 2 btakes it to 3heart.
3aSorrow is better than laughter, For bwhen a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4The 1mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the 1mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5It is better to alisten to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools.
6For as the 1crackling of athorn bushes under a pot, So is the blaughter of the fool; And this too is futility.
7For aoppression makes a wise man mad, And a bbribe 1corrupts the heart.
8The aend of a matter is better than its beginning; bPatience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
9Do not be 1 aeager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.
10Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
11Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an aadvantage to those who see the sun.
12For awisdom is 1protection just as money is 1protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that bwisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.
13Consider the awork of God, For who is bable to straighten what He has bent?
14aIn the day of prosperity be happy, But bin the day of adversity consider-- God has made the one as well as the other So that man will cnot discover anything that will be after him.
15I have seen everything during my 1 alifetime of futility; there is ba righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is ca wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.
16Do not be excessively arighteous and do not bbe overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?
17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you adie before your time?
18It is good that you grasp one thing and also not 1let go of the other; for the one who afears God comes forth with 2both of them.
19aWisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20Indeed, athere is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
21Also, do not 1take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant acursing you.
22For 1you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.
23I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, "I will be wise," abut it was far from me.
24What has been is remote and aexceedingly 1mysterious. bWho can discover it?
25I 1 adirected my 2mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.
26And I discovered more abitter than death the woman whose heart is bsnares and nets, whose hands are chains. cOne who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but dthe sinner will be captured by her.
27"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation,
28which 1I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a awoman among all these.
29"Behold, I have found only this, that aGod made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."