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7:1  A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
7:2  Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies--so the living should take this to heart.
7:3  Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.
7:4  A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
7:5  Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.
7:6  A fool's laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless.
7:7  Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.
7:8  Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.
7:9  Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.
7:10  Don't long for "the good old days." This is not wise.
7:11  Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life.
7:12  Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.
7:13  Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
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.
7:15  I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.
7:16  So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?
7:17  On the other hand, don't be too wicked either. Don't be a fool! Why die before your time?
7:18  Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.
7:19  One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
7:20  Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
7:21  Don't eavesdrop on others--you may hear your servant curse you.
7:22  For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
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.
7:24  Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.
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.
7:26  I discovered that a seductive woman 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.
7:27  "This is my conclusion," says the Teacher. "I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.
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!
7:29  But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path."