AVOID ALL EXTREMES
Key verse: 18
NIV
15 In this meaningless life(A) of mine I have seen both of these:
the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(B)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?(C)
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God(D) will avoid all extremes.[a]
20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(G)
no one who does what is right and never sins.(H)
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you(I) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”(J)—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?(K)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(L)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.(M)
26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,(N)
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.(O)
27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[b](P) “this is what I have discovered:
“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28 while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman(Q) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
God created mankind upright,
but they have gone in search of many schemes.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
- Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly
Cross references
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 : S Job 7:7
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 : S Job 21:7; Ecc 8:12-14; Jer 12:1
- Ecclesiastes 7:17 : Job 15:32
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 : S Ecc 3:14
- Ecclesiastes 7:19 : S Ecc 2:13
- Ecclesiastes 7:19 : S Pr 8:14
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 : S Ps 14:3
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 : S 2Ch 6:36; S Job 4:17; S Pr 20:9; Ro 3:12
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 : Pr 30:10
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 : S Ecc 1:17
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 : S Job 28:12
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 : S Job 28:3
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 : S Ecc 1:17
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : S Ex 10:7; S Jdg 14:15
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : S Pr 2:16-19; 5:3-5; S 7:23; 22:14
- Ecclesiastes 7:27 : S Ecc 1:1
- Ecclesiastes 7:28 : 1Ki 11:3
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
15 In my (A)vain[a] life I have seen everything. There is (B)a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who (C)prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not (D)make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. (E)Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of (F)this, and from (G)that (H)withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.
19 (I)Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 Surely (J)there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear (K)your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that (L)many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I have tested by wisdom. (M)I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and (N)deep, very deep; (O)who can find it out?
25 (P)I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more (Q)bitter than death: (R)the woman whose heart is (S)snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but (T)the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says (U)the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. (V)One man among a thousand I found, but (W)a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that (X)God made man upright, but (Y)they have sought out many schemes.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
Cross references
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 : ch. 6:12; 9:9
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 : See ch. 8:14
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 : ch. 8:12, 13
- Ecclesiastes 7:16 : [Rom. 12:3]
- Ecclesiastes 7:17 : [Prov. 10:27]; See Job 22:16
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 : [ver. 17]
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 : [ver. 16]
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 : ch. 11:6
- Ecclesiastes 7:19 : ch. 9:16, 18; Prov. 21:22; 24:5
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 : See 1 Kgs. 8:46
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 : Prov. 30:10
- Ecclesiastes 7:22 : [Gal. 6:1]
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 : [Rom. 1:22]
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 : [Rom. 11:33]
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 : Job 28:12, 20; [1 Tim. 6:16]
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 : See ch. 1:17
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : Prov. 5:4
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : See Prov. 2:16
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : Prov. 12:12; [Prov. 23:28]
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 : Prov. 22:14
- Ecclesiastes 7:27 : See ch. 1:1
- Ecclesiastes 7:28 : Job 33:23; [ver. 20]
- Ecclesiastes 7:28 : [1 Kgs. 11:3]
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 : [Gen. 1:27]
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 : [Gen. 3:6, 7]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
Prayer: Lord, help me to seek you, and not chase after many schemes.
One Word: Fear God