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New Living Translation (NLT)

Ecclesiastes - Chapter 7

	Ecc 7:1	A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
	Ecc 7:2	Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.
	Ecc 7:3	Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.
	Ecc 7:4	A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
	Ecc 7:5	Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.
	Ecc 7:6	A fool's laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless.
	Ecc 7:7	Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.
	Ecc 7:8	Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.
	Ecc 7:9	Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.
	Ecc 7:10	Don't long for "the good old days." This is not wise.
	Ecc 7:11	Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life.
	Ecc 7:12	Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.
	Ecc 7:13	Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
	Ecc 7:14	Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
	Ecc 7:15	I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.
	Ecc 7:16	So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?
	Ecc 7:17	On the other hand, don't be too wicked either. Don't be a fool! Why die before your time?
	Ecc 7:18	Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. [fn]
	Ecc 7:19	One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
	Ecc 7:20	Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
	Ecc 7:21	Don't eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you.
	Ecc 7:22	For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
	Ecc 7:23	I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, "I am determined to be wise." But it didn't work.
	Ecc 7:24	Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.
	Ecc 7:25	I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
	Ecc 7:26	I discovered that a seductive woman [fn] is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
	Ecc 7:27	"This is my conclusion," says the Teacher. "I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.
	Ecc 7:28	Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman!
	Ecc 7:29	But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path."

NLT Footnotes:

(7:18) Or will follow them both.
(7:26) Hebrew a woman.

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Blue Letter Bible. "The Preacher Solomon - Ecclesiastes 7 - (NLT - New Living Translation)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2013. 20 Jun 2013. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Ecc&c=7&t=NLT >

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