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Ecclesiastes 7:16

American Standard Version

Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

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Ecclesiastes 7:16 in other translations

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

Ecclesiastes 7:16 · World English Bible

Ecclesiastes 7:16 in context

  1. 14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him.
  2. 15All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing.
  3. 16Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
  4. 17Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
  5. 18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.