American Standard Version - King James Version

 7:1 ¶ A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth.

 7:1 ¶ A good nameº [is] betterº than preciousº ointment;ºº and the dayº of deathº than the dayºº of one's birth.ºº

 7:2 ¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

 7:2 ¶ [It is] betterº to goººº toº the houseº of mourning,º than to goºººº toº the houseº of feasting:º forº thatº [is] the endº of allº men;º and the livingº will layºº [it] toº his heart.º

 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

 7:3 Sorrowº [is] betterº than laughter:ºº forº by the sadnessº of the countenanceº the heartº is made better.ºº

 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

 7:4 The heartº of the wiseº [is] in the houseº of mourning;º but the heartº of foolsº [is] in the houseº of mirth.º

 7:5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

 7:5 [It is] betterº to hearºº the rebukeº of the wise,º than for a manºº to hearºº the songº of fools.º

 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

 7:6 Forº as the cracklingº of thornsº underº a pot,º soº [is] the laughterº of the fool:º thisº alsoº [is] vanity.º

 7:7 ¶ Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

 7:7 ¶ Surelyº oppressionº maketh a wise manº mad;ºº and a giftº destroyethººº the heart.º

 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

 7:8 Betterº [is] the endº of a thingº than the beginningºº thereof: [and] the patientº in spiritº [is] betterº than the proudºº in spirit.º

 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

 7:9 Be notº hastyºº in thy spiritº to be angry:ºº forº angerº restethºº in the bosomº of fools.º

 7:10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

 7:10 Sayºº notº thou, Whatº isº [the cause] that the formerº daysººº wereº betterº than these?ºº forº thou dost notº enquireºº wiselyºº concerningº this.º

 7:11 ¶ Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.

 7:11 ¶ Wisdomº [is] goodº withº an inheritance:º and [by it there is] profitº to them that seeºº the sun.º

 7:12 For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.

 7:12 Forº wisdomº [is] a defence,º [and] moneyº [is] a defence:º but the excellencyº of knowledgeº [is, that] wisdomº giveth lifeºº to them that haveº it.

 7:13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

 7:13 Considerººº the workº of God:º forº whoº canºº make [that] straight,ººº whichº he hath made crooked?ºº

 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him.

 7:14 In the dayº of prosperityº beº joyful,º but in the dayº of adversityº consider:ºº Godº alsoº hath setººº the oneº over againstº the other,º toº the endº that manº should findºº nothingººº afterº him.

 7:15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing.

 7:15 º Allº [things] have I seenºº in the daysº of my vanity:º there isº a justº [man] that perishethºº in his righteousness,º and there isº a wickedº [man] that prolongethºº [his life] in his wickedness.º

 7:16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

 7:16 Beº notº righteousº over much;ºº neitherº make thyself overº wise:ººº whyº shouldest thou destroyºº thyself?º

 7:17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

 7:17 Be notº over muchºº wicked,ºº neitherº beº thou foolish:º whyº shouldest thou dieºº beforeº thy time?º

 7:18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.

 7:18 [It is] goodº thatº thou shouldest take holdºº of this;º yea, alsoº from thisºº withdrawººº notºº thine hand:º forº he that fearethº Godº shall come forthººº of them all.º

 7:19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

 7:19 Wisdomº strengthenethºº the wiseº more than tenºº mightyº [men] whichº areº in the city.º

 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

 7:20 Forº [there is] notº a justº manº upon earth,º thatº doethºº good,º and sinnethºº not.º

 7:21 Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

 7:21 Alsoº takeºº noº heedº unto allº wordsº thatº are spoken;ºº lestºº thou hearººº thy servantº curseºº thee:

 7:22 for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

 7:22 Forº oftentimesºº alsoº thine own heartº knowethºº thatº thou thyselfº likewiseº hast cursedºº others.º

 7:23 ¶ All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

 7:23 ¶ Allº thisº have I provedºº by wisdom:º I said,ºº I will be wise;ºº but itº [was] farº fromº me.

 7:24 That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?

 7:24 That which isººº far off,º and exceeding deep,º whoº can find it out?ºº

 7:25 I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

 7:25 Iº appliedºº mine heartº to know,ºº and to search,ºº and to seek outºº wisdom,º and the reasonº [of things], and to knowºº the wickednessº of folly,º even of foolishnessº [and] madness:º

 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

 7:26 And Iº findºº more bitterº than deathººº the woman,º whoseºº heartº [is] snaresº and nets,º [and] her handsº [as] bands:º whoso pleasethºº Godº shall escapeºº fromº her; but the sinnerºº shall be takenºº by her.

 7:27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

 7:27 Behold,ºº thisº have I found,ºº saithºº the preacher,º [counting] oneº by one,º to find outºº the account:º

 7:28 which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

 7:28 Whichº yetº my soulº seeketh,ºº but I findºº not:º oneº manº among a thousandºº have I found;ºº but a womanº among allº thoseº have I notº found.ºº

 7:29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

 7:29 Lo,ºº thisº onlyº have I found,ºº thatº Godº hath madeººº manº upright;º but theyº have sought outºº manyº inventions.º