7:1-4—Sorrow Is Better
A good name is better than good perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all humankind, and the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.
7:5-6—Rebuke Is Better
It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than for a man to listen to the song of fools. For as the crackling of burning thorns underneath a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is pointless.
7:7-10—The End Is Better
For extortion makes the wise man foolish, and a bribe destroys the heart. Better is the end of a matter than its beginning. A patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
7:11-12—Wisdom Is Better
Wisdom with an inheritance is a good thing, and an advantage for those who see the sun. For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense, but the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom is that it preserves the life of him who has it.
7:13-14—Consider the Work of God
Consider the work of God, for who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, in order that man cannot find out anything about his future.
