Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

1A good name is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you’re born.

2It is better to go to a funeral than to a banquet because that is where everyone will end up. Everyone who is alive should take this to heart!

3Sorrow is better than laughter because, in spite of a sad face, the heart can be joyful.

4The minds of wise people think about funerals, but the minds of fools think about banquets.

5It is better to listen to wise people who reprimand you than to fools who sing your praises.

6The laughter of a fool is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot. Even this is pointless.

7Oppression can turn a wise person into a fool, and a bribe can corrupt the mind.

8The end of something is better than its beginning. It is better to be patient than arrogant.

9Don’t be quick to get angry, because anger is typical of fools.

10Don’t ask, “Why were things better in the old days than they are now?” It isn’t wisdom that leads you to ask this!

11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. It is an advantage to everyone who sees the sun.

12Wisdom protects us just as money protects us, but the advantage of wisdom is that it gives life to those who have it.

13Consider what God has done! Who can straighten what God has bent?

14When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one time as well as the other so that mortals cannot predict their future.