| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's 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 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. | 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 by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. | 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 mirth. | 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 hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. | 5It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, |
| 6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. | 6for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. |
| 7Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. | 7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe destroys the mind. |
| 8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. | 8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. |
| 9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. | 9Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. |
| 10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. | 10Don't say, "Why were the former days better than these?" since it is not wise of you to ask this. |
| 11Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. | 11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage to those who see the sun, |
| 12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. | 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: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? | 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: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing 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. |
| 15All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life 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. |
| 16Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? | 16Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? |
| 17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? | 17Don't be excessively wicked, and don't be foolish. Why should you die before your time? |
| 18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. | 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 strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. | 19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers of a city. |
| 20For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. | 20There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. |
| 21Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: | 21Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, |
| 22For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. | 22for you know that many times you yourself have cursed others. |
| 23All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. | 23I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, "I will be wise," but it was beyond me. |
| 24That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? | 24What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? |
| 25I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and 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, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. | 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. " |
| 27Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: | 27Look," says the Teacher, "I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, |
| 28Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. | 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. |
| 29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. | 29Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes." |
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