Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

New American Standard Bible

¹⁵ I have seen everything during my ^[a](A)lifetime of futility; there is ^(B)a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness, and there is ^(C)a wicked person who prolongs his life in his wickedness. ¹⁶ Do not be excessively ^(D)righteous, and do not ^(E)be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be foolish. Why should you ^(F)die ^[b]before your time? ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp one thing while not ^[c]letting go of the other; for one who ^(G)fears God comes out with ^[d]both of them.

^19 (H)Wisdom strengthens a wise person more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, ^(I)there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin. ²¹ Also, do not ^[e]take seriously all the words which are spoken, so that you do not hear your servant ^(J)cursing you, ²² for ^[f]you know that even you have cursed others many times as well.

²³ I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” ^(K)but wisdom was far from me. ²⁴ What has been is remote and ^(L)very ^[g]mysterious. ^(M)Who can discover it? ²⁵ I ^[h](N)directed my ^[i]mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity. ²⁶ And I discovered as more ^(O)bitter than death the woman whose heart is ^(P)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. ^(Q)One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but ^(R)the sinner will be captured by her.

²⁷ “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “by adding one thing to another to find an explanation, ²⁸ which ^[j]I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a ^(S)woman among all these. ²⁹ Behold, I have found only this, that ^(T)God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”