Translated for the 2011 Common English Bible
Verses 1 - 12
A good name is better than fine oil,
and the day of death better than the birthday.
It is better to go to a house in mourning
than to a house party, because
that is everyone's destiny; and the living
should take it to heart.
Aggravation is better than merriment
because a sad face may lead to a glad heart.
The wise heart is in the house that mourns,
but the foolish heart is in the house
that rejoices. It is better to obey
the reprimand of the wise than
to listen to the song of fools, because
the fool's merriment is like nettles
crackling under a kettle. That
too is pointless. Oppression turns the
wise into fools; a bribe corrupts the heart.
The end of something is better than its
beginning. Patience is better than
arrogance. Don't be too quick to get angry
because anger lives in the fool's heart.
Don't ask, "How is it that the former days
were better than these?" because it isn't
wise to ask this. Wisdom is as good as //
-or- Wisdom is good with an inheritance --
an advantage for those who see the sun.
Wisdom's protection is like the protection
of money; the advantage of knowledge is
that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors!
THE CEB STUDY BIBLE page 1064 OT
verse 6 simile "like nettles crackling" an odd
image, perhaps signifying heat but no light,
sound but no sense.
THE CEB STUDY BIBLE (2013) edited by
Joel B. Green
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