1988 verses about Wisdom

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don’t withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me.

That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find out the scheme;

which my soul still seeks; but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand; but I have not found a woman among all those.

Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”

Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,

Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.

For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night sees sleep with his eyes),

then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.

For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.

Yes also, when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

the mighty man, the man of war, the judge, the prophet, the diviner, the elder,

the captain of fifty, the honorable man, the counselor, the skilled craftsman, and the clever enchanter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

For he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

Yahweh’s Spirit will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.

His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears;

The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?”

Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you now; and let them know what Yahweh of Armies has purposed concerning Egypt.

For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.

Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?

For his God instructs him in right judgment, and teaches him.

For the dill are not threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod.

Bread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses don’t grind it.

This also comes out from Yahweh of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.

All vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, “Read this, please”; and he says, “I can’t, for it is sealed:”

therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden.”

They also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction.”

Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers won’t be hidden any more, but your eyes will see your teachers;

Yet he also is wise, and will bring disaster, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity.

The heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

The fool will no longer be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

But the noble devises noble things; and he will continue in noble things.

There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measuring basket, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor?

Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?

that they may see, know, consider, and understand together, that Yahweh’s hand has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

When I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask of them, can answer a word.

Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.

who frustrates the signs of the liars, and makes diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel.

For you have trusted in your wickedness. You have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge has perverted you. You have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’

Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: “I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.

Behold, my servant will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Then I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the way of Yahweh, nor the law of their God.

Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

“‘How do you say, “We are wise, and Yahweh’s law is with us?” But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has worked falsely.

The wise men are disappointed. They are dismayed and trapped. Behold, they have rejected Yahweh’s word. What kind of wisdom is in them?

Who is wise enough to understand this? Who is he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?