Read King James 1611 Ecclesiastes 7 Bible Online

Ecclesiastes 7 - King James 1611 bible

Ecclesiastes 7

¹A Good name is better then precious ointment: and the day of death, then the day of ones birth.

²It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the liuing will lay it to his heart.

³Sorrow is better then laughter: for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.

⁵It is better to heare the rebuke of the wise, then for a man to heare the song of fooles.

⁶For as the crackling of thornes vnder a pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie.

⁷Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and a gift destroyeth the heart.

⁸Better is the ende of a thing then the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better then the proude in spirit.

⁹Be not hastie in thy spirit to bee angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles.

¹⁰Say not thou, What is the cause that the former dayes were better then these? For thou doest not enquire wisely concerning this.

¹¹Wisedome is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profite to them that see the sunne.

¹²For wisedome is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellencie of knowledge is, that wisedome giueth life to them that haue it.

¹³Consider the worke of God: for who can make that straight, which hee hath made crooked?

¹⁴In the day of prosperitie be ioyfull, but in the day of aduersitie consider: God also hath set the one ouer against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

¹⁵All things haue I seene in the dayes of my vanitie: there is a iust man that perisheth in his righteousnes, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickednes.

¹⁶Be not righteous ouer much, neither make thy selfe ouer wise: why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe?

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

¹⁸It is good that thou shouldest take holde of this, yea also from this withdraw not thine hand: for hee that feareth God, shall come foorth of them all.

¹⁹Wisedome strengtheneth the wise, more then ten mightie men which are in the citie.

²⁰For there is not a iust man vpon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

²¹Also take no heede vnto all words that are spoken; lest thou heare thy seruant curse thee.

²²For often times also thine owne heart knoweth, that thou thy selfe likewise hast cursed others.

²³All this haue I prooued by wisedome: I said, I will be wise, but it was farre from me.

²⁴That which is farre off, and exceeding deepe, who can finde it out?

²⁵I applyed mine heart to know, and to search, and to seeke out wisdome, and the reason of things, aud to know the wickednes of folly, euen of foolishnesse and madnesse.

²⁶And I finde more bitter then death, the woman whose heart is snares & nets, and her handes as bands: who so pleaseth God, shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

²⁷Behold, this haue I found (saith the Preacher) counting one by one to finde out the account:

²⁸Which yet my soule seeketh, but I finde not: one man among a thousand haue I found, but a woman among all those haue I not found.

²⁹Loe, this onely haue I found, that God hath made man vpright: but they haue sought out many inuentions.