| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. | 1A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth. |
| 2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart. | 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. |
| 3Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart. | 3Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart. |
| 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking. | 4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. |
| 5It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools. | 5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. |
| 6For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless. | 6For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. |
| 7Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart. | 7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. |
| 8The end of a matter is better than its beginning; likewise, patience is better than pride. | 8The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. |
| 9Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools. | 9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool. |
| 10Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these days?" for it is not wise to ask that. | 10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this. |
| 11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day. | 11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun. |
| 12For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner. | 12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. |
| 13Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent? | 13Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? |
| 14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds. | 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. |
| 15During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds. | 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. |
| 16So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed. | 16Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? |
| 17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time. | 17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? |
| 18It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings. | 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. |
| 19Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city. | 19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city. |
| 20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins. | 20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. |
| 21Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you. | 21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. |
| 22For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times. | 22For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. |
| 23I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, "I am determined to comprehend this"--but it was beyond my grasp. | 23All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me. |
| 24Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom. | 24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it? |
| 25I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly. | 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. |
| 26I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter's snare; her heart is like a hunter's net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her. | 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. |
| 27The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item. | 27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. |
| 28What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them. | 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. |
| 29This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes. | 29Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” |
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