New King James Version

Ecclesiastes 7:6-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

6. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,So is the laughter of the fool.This also is vanity.

7. Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,And a bribe debases the heart.

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

9. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

10. Do not say,“Why were the former days better than these?”For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance,And profitable to those who see the sun.

12. For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense,But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.