Ecclesiastes
Chapter
7
{7th
Experiment of Solomon - Seeking a good reputation for Happiness in
the Cosmic System}
1~~A
good name is better than fine perfume.
And the day of death is better than the day of birth.
2~~It
is better to go to a house of mourning . . .
than
to go to a house of feasting.
For
death is the destiny of every man . . .
and
the living should take this to his right lobe {heart}.
{If
your reputation is good no one laughs at your Funeral}
3~~Sorrow
is better than laughter . . .
because
a sad face is good for the right lobe {at a funeral}.
{Can
not have a good reputation if you look like you always want to have fun}
4~~The
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning . . .
but
the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5~~It
is better to listen to the wise man's reproach . . .
than
to listen to the song of fools.
{Laughter
has to have meaning}
6~~
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot . . .
so
is the laughter of the fool . . .
this
also is meaningless.
7~~Extortion
turns a wise man into a fool . . .
and
a bribe corrupts the right lobe.
8~~The end of a matter is better than the beginning.
And patience is better than arrogance.
9~~Do
not be quickly provoked in your spirit . . .
for
anger resides in the laps of fools.
10
Don't say,
"How
has it happened that former times were better than these?"
For it is not wise of you to ask that question.
{Doctrine
is the Answer}
11~~
Wisdom . . . like an inheritance is good thing . . .
and
benefits those who see the sun {everyone}!
12~~Wisdom is a shelter . . . as money is a shelter.
But
the advantage of knowledge {of doctrine} is this . . .
the
wisdom {of doctrine}
'preserves
the life'/'gives capacity to the life' of the possessor.
13~~Consider what God has done.
For who can straighten what has been made crooked?
14~~When times are good . . . be happy.
When
times are bad . . . remember {apply doctrine}
that
God has made the one
as
well as the other
{each one of us will have a certain amount of each}
consequently,
man may find no fault with Him.
15
In my own brief span of life,
I
have seen both these things.
Sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness.
And sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness.
16
So, don't overdo goodness
and
don't act the wise man to excess,
or
you may be dumfounded.
17
Don't overdo wickedness
and
don't be a fool,
or
you may die before your time.
18~~
It is good to grasp one thing . . .
and
not let go of the other.
The man who respects God will avoid all extremes.
19~~
Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
than
ten rulers in a city.
20~~
For there is not a righteous man upon earth
who
does not sin . . .
there
is no such thing.
21-22
Finally, don't pay attention to everything that is said,
so
that you may not hear your slave reviling you . . . 22
for
well you remember the many times
that
you yourself have reviled them.
23 All this I tested with wisdom.
I thought I could fathom it, but it eludes me.
24
{The secret of} What happens is elusive and deep . . .
deep
down.
Who can discover it?
25
I {Solomon} put my mind to studying, exploring,
and
seeking wisdom . . .
and
the reason of things,
and
to studying wickedness, stupidity, madness, and folly.
{8th
Experiment of Solomon - Seeking Happiness through Sex in the Cosmic System}
26~~
And I find more bitter than death . . .
the
woman whose is a snare . . .
whose
right lobe is a trap . . .
whose
hands are chains.
The man who pleases God shall escape her.
But the sinner always gets hooked.
27
"See this is what I found,"
said
Koheleth {the preacher},
"item
by item in my search for the reason of things."
28
As for what I sought further but did not find,
I
found only one human being in a thousand,
and
the one I found among so many was never a woman.
29
But, see, this I did find . . .
God
made men plain,
but
they have engaged in too much reasoning.
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