16. Do not be overly righteous nor overly wise— why confound yourself?
17. Do not be overly wicked and do not be a fool— why die before your time?
18. It is good to grasp the one and not withdraw your hand from the other. For the one who fears God will escape both extremes.
19. Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20. Surely there is not a righteous person on earth who does what is good and doesn’t sin.
21. Also, do not pay attention to every word people say, otherwise you might hear your servant mocking you—
22. for your heart knows that many times you too have mocked others.
23. All this I have tested with wisdom and I said, “I determined to be wise”—but it was far from me.
24. Whatever it may be, it is far off and very profound—who can fathom it?
25. So I turned my heart to understand, to search and seek out wisdom and an explanation of things and to know the stupidity of wickedness and madness of folly.
26. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap, and whose hands are chains. He who pleases God will escape her, but a sinner will be captured by her.
27. “Look,” said Kohelet, “I have discovered this while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—
28. which my soul is still seeking, but not finding—I found one upright man among a thousand, but one upright woman among them all I have not found.
29. Only this have I discovered: God made mankind upright, but they went seeking after many schemes.”