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The Blue Letter Bible

Ecclesiastes 7 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Wisdom for Life

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:1

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:1 - A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:2

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:2 - Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies—
so the living should take this to heart.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:3

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:3 - Sorrow is better than laughter,
for sadness has a refining influence on us.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:4

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:4 - A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:5

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:5 - Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:6

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:6 - A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:7

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:7 - Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:8

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:8 - Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:9

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:9 - Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:10

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:10 - Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:11

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:11 - Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:12

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:12 - Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:13

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:13 - Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:14

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:14 - Enjoy prosperity while you can,
but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
The Limits of Human Wisdom

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:15 - I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:16

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:16 - So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:17

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:17 - On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:18

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:18 - Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:19

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:19 - One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:20

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:20 - Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:21

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:21 - Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:22

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:22 - For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:23

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:23 - I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:24

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:24 - Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:25

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:25 - I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:26

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:26 - I discovered that a seductive woman[fn] is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:27

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:27 - “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:28

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:28 - Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman!

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Unchecked Copy Box Ecc 7:29

Unchecked Copy BoxEcc 7:29 - But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Or will follow them both.
Hebrew a woman.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras