¹A good reputation is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you were born.

²It'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.[#7:2. Literally, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting.”]

³Sorrow is better than laughter, for tragedy helps us by making us think.[#7:3. Literally, “by sadness of countenance the heart is good.” In Hebrew thought, the heart was where thinking occurred.]

⁴Wise people think about the impact of death, while those who are fools only think about having a good time.

⁵It's better to listen to criticism from a wise person than to hear the song of fools.

⁶The laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorn twigs burning under a pot—without sense and quickly over.[#7:6. Thorn twigs used for fuel are of limited value, for they while they burn hot, the flames die quickly.]

⁷Extorting money from others makes wise people into fools, and accepting bribes corrupts the mind.

⁸Completing something is better than starting it. Being patient is better than being proud.

⁹Don't be quick to get angry, for anger controls the minds of fools.[#7:9. “Anger controls the minds of fools”: literally, “anger lodges in the bosom of fools.”]

¹⁰Don't ask, “Why were the good old days better than now?” Asking such questions shows you are not wise.

¹¹Wisdom is good—it's like receiving an inheritance. It benefits everyone in life.[#7:11. “It benefits everyone in life”: literally, “It is an advantage to those seeing the sun.”]

¹²For wisdom provides security, as does money, but the advantage for those who have wisdom is that they are kept safe and sound!

¹³Think about what God does. If he makes something bent, you can't straighten it!

¹⁴On 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.

¹⁵Throughout 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.[#7:15. Here the emphasis seems to be on doing right as defined by the Law.]

¹⁶Don'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?[#7:16. Literally, “You must not be righteous excessively, and you must not act wisely excessively.” The word “excessively” here refers to self-reliance rather than quantity.; #7:16. In the sense of trying to make yourself right, and wise, by your own efforts.]

¹⁷On the other hand, don't decide to live an evil life—don't be a fool! Why die before your time?[#7:17. Implied.]

¹⁸You ought to keep in mind these warnings. Those who follow God will be sure to avoid both.

¹⁹Wisdom gives a wise person greater power than ten town councilors.

²⁰There's not one good person in all the world who always does what is right and never sins.

²¹Don't take to heart everything that people say, otherwise you may hear your servant talking badly about you,[#7:21. “Talking badly”—this in the sense of speaking disparagingly rather than cursing, as some translations suggest.]

²²for you know how many times you yourself have talked badly about others!

²³I have examined all this using the principles of wisdom. I told myself, “I will think wisely.” But wisdom eluded me.

²⁴Everything that exists is beyond our grasp—too deep for our understanding. Who can comprehend it?

²⁵I 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.

²⁶I 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.[#7:26. Literally, “bitter.”; #7:26. “Woman”: symbolic of Folly, see Proverbs 5and Proverbs 7.]

²⁷This is what I discovered after putting two and two together to try and find out what it all meant, says the Teacher.[#7:27. Hebrew: “one and one.”]

²⁸Although 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.”[#7:28. This appears to have been some kind of proverb. It's exact meaning is uncertain.]

²⁹But I did find this one thing: God made people to do what's right, but they have followed their own ideas.[#7:29. Literally, “but they have sought out many devices.”]