Ecclesiastes 7:16

KJV1611 – Modern English

Do not be overly righteous, nor make yourself overly wise; why should you destroy yourself?

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Referenced Verses

  • Rom 12:3 : 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith.
  • Luke 18:12 : 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.
  • Prov 25:16 : 16 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.
  • Phil 3:6 : 6 Regarding zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness in the law, blameless.
  • Col 2:18 : 18 Let no one beguile you of your reward in a false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
  • Col 2:23 : 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
  • 1 Tim 4:3 : 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
  • Jas 3:13-17 : 13 Who is wise and endowed with knowledge among you? Let him show by good conduct his works with the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envy and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
  • Rev 18:19 : 19 And they threw dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea were made rich by her wealth! for in one hour she is made desolate.
  • Eccl 12:12 : 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
  • Matt 6:1-7 : 1 Be careful not to do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them; otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do your charitable deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do your charitable deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deeds may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathens do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
  • Matt 9:14 : 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples do not fast?
  • Matt 15:2-9 : 2 Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die. 5 But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me; 6 And does not honor his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
  • Matt 23:5 : 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men: they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments,
  • Matt 23:23-24 : 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith: these you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
  • Matt 23:29 : 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
  • Matt 23:38 : 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.
  • Rom 10:2 : 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
  • Rom 11:25 : 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
  • 1 Cor 3:18 : 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
  • 1 Cor 3:20 : 20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
  • Gen 3:6 : 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of the fruit and ate, and gave also to her husband with her; and he ate.
  • Job 11:12 : 12 For hollow man would be wise, though man is born like a wild donkey's colt.
  • Job 28:28 : 28 And to man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'
  • Prov 23:4 : 4 Do not labor to be rich; cease from your own wisdom.

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 overly wicked, nor be foolish; why should you die before your time?

    18It is good that you should take hold of this, and also from this do not withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will escape them all.

    19Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten mighty men in the city.

    20For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

    21Also, do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant curse you.

    22For often your own heart knows that you yourself have cursed others.

    23All this have I tested by wisdom. I said, 'I will be wise,' but it was far from me.

  • Eccl 7:13-15
    3 verses
    75%

    13Consider the work of God, for who can make straight what He has made crooked?

    14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also has set the one against the other, so that man should find nothing after him.

    15All things have I seen in the days of my vanity; there is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.

  • Eccl 7:9-11
    3 verses
    75%

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

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

    11Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and by it there is profit to those who see the sun.

  • 7Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

  • 4Do not labor to be rich; cease from your own wisdom.

  • 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 laughter.

    5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

    6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool; this also is vanity.

    7Surely oppression makes a wise man mad, and a bribe destroys the heart.

  • 12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

  • 18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

  • 18For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

  • Eccl 2:15-16
    2 verses
    70%

    15So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, so it happens even to me. And why was I then more wise?" Then I said in my heart, "This also is vanity."

    16For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since what now is will all be forgotten in the days to come. And how does the wise man die? Just like the fool.

  • 18Because there is wrath, beware lest he takes you away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver you.

  • 23Thus says the LORD, 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches:

  • 25There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end are the ways of death.

  • 3The foolishness of man perverts his way, and his heart frets against the LORD.

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

  • 21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

  • Prov 26:4-5
    2 verses
    70%

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

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

  • 4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

  • 27It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one's own glory.

  • 32For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of fools will destroy them.

  • Prov 13:6-7
    2 verses
    69%

    6Righteousness guards him who is upright in the way, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

    7There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; there is one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

  • 15Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not spoil his resting place.

  • 25I applied my heart to know, to search, and to seek out wisdom and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even foolishness and madness.

  • 2Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.

  • Eccl 11:9-10
    2 verses
    69%

    9Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes — but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

    10Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.

  • 8The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

  • 26Also, to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

  • 7For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also various vanities; but fear God.

  • 15That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is lacking cannot be counted.

  • 12The righteous man wisely considers the house of the wicked, but God overthrows the wicked for their wickedness.

  • 10Delight is not fitting for a fool; much less for a servant to rule over princes.

  • 1Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.