Bible in Basic English
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
— Ecclesiastes 7:19-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city. For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins. Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you. For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times. Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp. Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom. True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly. I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her. The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item. What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them. This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.”
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.