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.