The Value of Wisdom
A1 good name is better than fine perfume, 2It is better to enter a house of mourning 3Sorrow is better than laughter, 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, 5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke 6For like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, 8The end of a matter is better than the beginning, 9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, 10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, 12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, 13Consider the work of God: 14In the day of prosperity, be joyful,
The Limits of Human Wisdom
I15n my futile life I have seen both of these: 16Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
19Wisdom makes the wise man 20Surely there is no righteous man on earth 21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. 22For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me. 24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it? 25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness. 26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared. 27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. 28While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman. 29Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”