Ecclesiastes 7:16

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Rom 12:3 : 3 Conduct in Humility For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
  • Luke 18:12 : 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’
  • Prov 25:16 : 16 You have found honey–eat only what is sufficient for you, lest you become stuffed with it and vomit it up.
  • Phil 3:6 : 6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.
  • Col 2:18 : 18 Let no one who delights in false humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
  • Col 2:23 : 23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body– a wisdom with no true value– they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.
  • 1 Tim 4:3 : 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
  • Jas 3:13-17 : 13 True Wisdom Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.
  • Rev 18:19 : 19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,“Woe, Woe, O great city– in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth– because in a single hour she has been destroyed!”
  • Eccl 12:12 : 12 Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands! Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body.
  • Matt 6:1-7 : 1 Pure-hearted Giving“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 5 Private Prayer“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward! 6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.
  • Matt 9:14 : 14 The Superiority of the New Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?”
  • Matt 15:2-9 : 2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them,“And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God said,‘Honor your father and mother’ and‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say,‘If someone tells his father or mother,“Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,” 6 he does not need to honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, 9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
  • Matt 23:5 : 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long.
  • Matt 23:23-24 : 23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law– justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!
  • Matt 23:29 : 29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
  • Matt 23:38 : 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate!
  • Rom 10:2 : 2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.
  • Rom 11:25 : 25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
  • 1 Cor 3:18 : 18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.
  • 1 Cor 3:20 : 20 And again,“The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
  • Gen 3:6 : 6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
  • Job 11:12 : 12 But an empty man will become wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a human being.
  • Job 28:28 : 28 And he said to mankind,‘The fear of the LORD– that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
  • Prov 23:4 : 4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 7:17-23
    7 verses
    88%

    17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time.

    18It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.

    19Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city.

    20For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.

    21Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

    22For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times.

    23Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp.

  • Eccl 7:13-15
    3 verses
    75%

    13Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent?

    14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.

    15Exceptions to the Law of Retribution During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

  • Eccl 7:9-11
    3 verses
    75%

    9Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

    10Do not say,“Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.

    11Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.

  • Prov 3:7
    75%

    7Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

  • Prov 23:4
    75%

    4Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

  • Eccl 7:4-7
    4 verses
    73%

    4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

    5Frivolous Living Versus Wisdom It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools.

    6For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.

    7Human Wisdom Overturned by Adversity Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.

  • Prov 14:12
    71%

    12There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.

  • 1 Cor 3:18
    71%

    18Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.

  • Eccl 1:18
    71%

    18For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.

  • Eccl 2:15-16
    2 verses
    70%

    15So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”

    16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies– just like the fool!

  • Job 36:18
    70%

    18Be careful that no one entices you with riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

  • Jer 9:23
    70%

    23The LORD says,“Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich.

  • Prov 16:25
    70%

    25There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.

  • Prov 19:3
    70%

    3A person’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the LORD.

  • Prov 27:1
    70%

    1Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

  • Isa 5:21
    70%

    21Beware, those who think they are wise, those who think they possess understanding.

  • Prov 26:4-5
    2 verses
    70%

    4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.

    5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.

  • Prov 11:4
    70%

    4Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

  • Prov 25:27
    70%

    27It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable for people to seek their own glory.

  • Prov 1:32
    70%

    32For the waywardness of the simpletons will kill them, and the careless ease of fools will destroy them.

  • Prov 13:6-7
    2 verses
    69%

    6Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

    7There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth.

  • Prov 24:15
    69%

    15Do not lie in wait like the wicked against the place where the righteous live; do not assault his home.

  • Eccl 7:25
    69%

    25True 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.

  • Prov 10:2
    69%

    2Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

  • Eccl 11:9-10
    2 verses
    69%

    9Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.

    10Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

  • Prov 14:8
    69%

    8The wisdom of the shrewd person is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deception.

  • Prov 17:26
    69%

    26It is terrible to punish a righteous person, and to flog honorable men is wrong.

  • Eccl 5:7
    69%

    7Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore, fear God!

  • Eccl 1:15
    69%

    15What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.

  • Prov 21:12
    69%

    12The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked; he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.

  • Prov 19:10
    69%

    10Luxury is not appropriate for a fool; how much less for a servant to rule over princes!

  • Matt 7:1
    69%

    1Do Not Judge“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.