| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth. | 1A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one's death than the day of one's birth. |
| 2It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart. | 2It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. |
| 3Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart. | 3Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. |
| 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. | 4The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. |
| 5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. | 5It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, |
| 6For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. | 6for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. |
| 7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. | 7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe destroys the mind. |
| 8The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. | 8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. |
| 9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool. | 9Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. |
| 10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this. | 10Don't say, "Why were the former days better than these?" since it is not wise of you to ask this. |
| 11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun. | 11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage to those who see the sun, |
| 12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. | 12because wisdom is protection as money is protection, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. |
| 13Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? | 13Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked? |
| 14In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him. | 14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him. |
| 15In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. | 15In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil. |
| 16Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? | 16Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? |
| 17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? | 17Don't be excessively wicked, and don't be foolish. 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. | 18It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. |
| 19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city. | 19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers of a city. |
| 20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. | 20There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. |
| 21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. | 21Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, |
| 22For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. | 22for you know 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. | 23I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, "I will be wise," but it was beyond me. |
| 24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it? | 24What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover 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. | 25I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is 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. | 26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, her heart a net, and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. " |
| 27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. | 27Look," says the Teacher, "I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the 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. | 28which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman. |
| 29Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” | 29Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes." |
|
