| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. | 1A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one's death than the day of one's birth. |
| 2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart. | 2It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. |
| 3Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart. | 3Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. |
| 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking. | 4The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. |
| 5It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools. | 5It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, |
| 6For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless. | 6for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. |
| 7Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart. | 7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe destroys the mind. |
| 8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; likewise, patience is better than pride. | 8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. |
| 9Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools. | 9Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. |
| 10Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these days?" for it is not wise to ask that. | 10Don't say, "Why were the former days better than these?" since it is not wise of you to ask this. |
| 11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day. | 11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage to those who see the sun, |
| 12For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner. | 12because wisdom is protection as money is protection, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. |
| 13Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent? | 13Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked? |
| 14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds. | 14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him. |
| 15During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds. | 15In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil. |
| 16So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed. | 16Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? |
| 17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time. | 17Don't be excessively wicked, and don't be foolish. Why should you die before your time? |
| 18It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings. | 18It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. |
| 19Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city. | 19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers of a city. |
| 20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins. | 20There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. |
| 21Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you. | 21Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, |
| 22For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times. | 22for you know that many times you yourself have cursed others. |
| 23I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, "I am determined to comprehend this"--but it was beyond my grasp. | 23I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, "I will be wise," but it was beyond me. |
| 24Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom. | 24What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? |
| 25I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly. | 25I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. |
| 26I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter's snare; her heart is like a hunter's net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her. | 26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, her heart a net, and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. " |
| 27The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item. | 27Look," says the Teacher, "I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, |
| 28What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them. | 28which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman. |
| 29This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes. | 29Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes." |
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