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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Ecclesiastes 7:21

For there is not a righteous man in the earth, who will do good, and not sin

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Curiosity;   Forgiveness;   Servant;   Wisdom;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Slave, Slavery;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Excommunication;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for August 31;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,
Hebrew Names Version
Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
King James Version
Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
English Standard Version
Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
New American Standard Bible
Also, do not take seriously all the words which are spoken, so that you do not hear your servant cursing you,
New Century Version
Don't listen to everything people say, or you might hear your servant insulting you.
Amplified Bible
Also, do not take seriously everything that is said, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you,
World English Bible
Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Giue not thine heart also to all ye wordes that men speake, lest thou doe heare thy seruant cursing thee.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also, do not give your heart to all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your slave cursing you.
Berean Standard Bible
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Contemporary English Version
Don't listen to everything that everyone says, or you might hear your servant cursing you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Also, don't take seriously every word spoken, such as when you hear your servant speaking badly of you;
Darby Translation
Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't listen to everything people say. You might hear your own servant saying bad things about you.
George Lamsa Translation
Also take no heed of all words that are spoken by the wicked; neither listen to your servant when he curses you;
Good News Translation
Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you,
Lexham English Bible
Do not pay attention to everything people say, lest you hear your own servant curse you.
Literal Translation
Also, do not give your heart to all the words they speak, that you not hear your servant cursing you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take not hede vnto euery worde yt is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse the:
American Standard Version
Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;
Bible in Basic English
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;
King James Version (1611)
Also take no heede vnto all words that are spoken; lest thou heare thy seruant curse thee.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take no heede vnto euery word that is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse thee:
English Revised Version
Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But also yyue thou not thin herte to alle wordis, that ben seid; lest perauenture thou here thi seruaunt cursynge thee;
Update Bible Version
Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your slave curse you;
Webster's Bible Translation
Also take no heed to all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
New English Translation
Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.
New King James Version
Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
New Living Translation
Don't eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you.
New Life Bible
Do not listen to all the things that are said, or you might hear your servant cursing you.
New Revised Standard
Do not give heed to everything that people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Moreover, not to all the words which men speak, do thou apply thy heart, - lest thou hear thine own servant reviling thee!
Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-22) But do not apply thy heart to all words that are spoken: lest perhaps thou hear thy servant reviling thee.
Revised Standard Version
Do not give heed to all the things that men say, lest you hear your servant cursing you;
Young's Literal Translation
Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
THE MESSAGE
Don't eavesdrop on the conversation of others. What if the gossip's about you and you'd rather not hear it? You've done that a few times, haven't you—said things Behind someone's back you wouldn't say to his face?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you.

Contextual Overview

11 Say not, What has happened, that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire in wisdom concerning this. 12 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and there is an advantage by it to them that see the sun. 13 For wisdom in its shadow is as the shadow of silver: and the excellence of the knowledge of wisdom will give life to him that has it. 14 Behold the works of God: for who shall be able to straighten him whom God has made crooked? 15 In the day of prosperity live joyfully, and consider in the day of adversity: consider, I say, God also has caused the one to agree with the other for this reason, that man should find nothing after him. 16 I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man perishing in his justice, and there is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness. 17 Be not very just; neither be very wise: lest thou be confounded. 18 Be not very wicked; and be not stubborn: lest thou shouldest die before thy time. 19 It is well for thee to hold fast by this; also by this defile not thine hand: for to them that fear God all things shall come forth well. 20 Wisdom will help the wise man more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

take no heed: Heb. give not thine heart, 2 Samuel 19:19

unto: 2 Samuel 16:10, Isaiah 29:21, 1 Corinthians 13:5-7

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 24:9 - General Ecclesiastes 10:20 - thought

Cross-References

Genesis 6:13
And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted; because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
Genesis 6:17
Thou shalt narrow the ark in making it, and in a cubit above thou shalt finish it, and the door of the ark thou shalt make on the side; with lower, second, and third stories thou shalt make it.
Genesis 7:3
And of clean flying creatures of the sky sevens, male and female, and of all unclean flying creatures pairs, male and female, to maintain seed on all the earth.
Genesis 7:4
For yet seven days having passed I bring rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out every offspring which I have made from the face of all the earth.
Genesis 7:6
And Noe was six hundred years old when the flood of water was upon the earth.
Genesis 7:7
And then went in Noe and his sons and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the water of the flood.
Genesis 7:15
went in to Noe into the ark, pairs, male and female of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
Genesis 7:17
And the flood was upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and the water abounded greatly and bore up the ark, and it was lifted on high from off the earth.
Genesis 7:20
Fifteen cubits upwards was the water raised, and it covered all the high mountains.
Genesis 7:22
And all things which have the breath of life, and whatever was on the dry land, died.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken,.... Seeing so it is, that imperfection attends the best of men, no man is wise at all times, foolish words and unguarded expressions will sometimes drop from him, which it is better to take no notice of; they should not be strictly attended to, and closely examined, since they will not bear it. A man should not listen to everything that is said of himself or others; he should not curiously inquire what men say of him; and what he himself hears he should take no notice of; it is often best to let it pass, and not call it over again; to feign the hearing of a thing, or make as if you did not hear it; for oftentimes, by rehearsing a matter, or taking up words spoken, a deal of trouble and mischief follows; a man should not "give [his] heart" f to it, as it is in the Hebrew text; he should not give his mind to what is said of him, but be careless and indifferent about it; much less should he lay it up in his mind, and meditate revenge for it. The Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, restrain it to words spoken by wicked men, whose tongues are their own, and will say what they please; among these may be ranked, more especially, detractors, whisperers, backbiters, and talebearers, who should not be listened unto and encouraged; though there is no necessity of thus limiting the sense, which is more general, and may include what is said by any man, even good men, since they have their infirmities; it seems chiefly to have respect to defamatory words, by what follows;

lest thou hear thy servant curse thee; speak slightly, scoffingly, and reproachfully of thee, as Shimei of David; which must be very disagreeable and vexatious to hear from one so mean and abject, and who is dependent on him, earns his bread of him, and gets his livelihood in his service; and to whom, perhaps, he has been kind, and so is guilty of base ingratitude, which aggravates the more; or, if not, if what he says is just, to hear it must give great uneasiness.

f אל תתן לבך "ne des tuum cor", Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Curse ... cursed - Rather, speak evil of ... spoken evil of.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 21. Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken — This is good advice, and much for every man's peace through life.

Thy servant curse thee — מקללך mekallelecha, make light of thee, speak evil of thee.


 
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