New Living Translation (NLT)
Ecclesiastes 6
7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough.
8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?
9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.
11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?
12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?
Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.
4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5 Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.
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