Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life

7:13 Consider the work of God:

For who can make straight what he has bent?

7:14 In times of prosperity ¹  be joyful,

but in times of adversity ²  consider this:

God has made one as well as the other, ³ 

so that no one can discover what the future holds. ⁴ 

[7:14]  ¹ tn Heb “the day of good.”

[7:14]  ² tn Heb “the day of evil.”

[7:14]  ³ tn Less probable renderings of this line are “God hath made the one side by side with the other” (ASV) and “God has set the one alongside the other” (NEB).

[7:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “anything after him.” This line is misinterpreted by several versions: “that man may not find against him any just complaint” (Douay); “consequently, man may find no fault with Him” (NJPS); “so that man cannot find fault with him in anything” (NAB).