2 It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 7:2–4
Semantically similar passages
Proverbs 14:12–14
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in sorrow. 14 The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways, but a good man is rewarded for his ways.
Proverbs 15:14–16
14 A discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 15 All the days of the oppressed are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. 16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
Sirach 22:10–12
10 But children, being haughty, through disdain and want of nurture do stain the nobility of their kindred. (KJV) 11 Weep for the dead, for he lacks light. Weep for a fool, for he lacks understanding. Weep more sweetly for the dead, because he has found rest, but the life… (WEB)
Ecclesiastes 9:4–6
4 There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love, thei…
Ecclesiastes 2:1–3
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile. 2 I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still gu…
Ecclesiastes 7:13–15
13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? 14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him. 15 In m…
Sirach 38:17–19
17 Make bitter weeping and make passionate wailing. Let your mourning be according to his merit, for one day or two, lest you be spoken evil of; and so be comforted for your sorrow. (WEB) 18 For from sorrow comes death. Sorrow of heart saps one’s strength. (WEB) 19 In calamity, sor… (WEB)
Proverbs 12:24–26
24 The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. 25 Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man, but a good word cheers it up. 26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
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