Ecclesiastes 7:27

New Living Translation

"This is my conclusion," says the Teacher. "I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
Look, this I have found, says the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

New Century Version
The Teacher says, "This is what I learned: I added all these things together to find some meaning for everything.

New English Translation
The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, [counting] one by one, to find out the account:

World English Bible
Behold, this have I found, says the Preacher, one to another, to find out the scheme;

Amplified Bible
"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "while adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

English Standard Version
Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lo! Y foond this, seide Ecclesiastes, oon and other, that Y schulde fynde resoun, which my soule sekith yit;

English Revised Version
Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher; laying one thing to another, to find out the account:

Berean Standard Bible
"Behold," says the Teacher, "I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.

Contemporary English Version
With all my wisdom I have tried to find out how everything fits together,

American Standard Version
Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, laying one thing to another, to find out the account;

Bible in Basic English
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,

Complete Jewish Bible
I have found this — says Kohelet — adding one thing to another to reach a conclusion,

Darby Translation
See this which I have found, saith the Preacher, [searching] one by one to find out the reason;

Easy-to-Read Version
The Teacher says, "I added all this together to see what answer I could find. I am still looking for answers, but I did find this: I found one good man in a thousand. But I did not find even one good woman.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, this have I found, saith Koheleth, adding one thing to another, to find out the account;

King James Version (1611)
Behold, this haue I found (saith the Preacher) counting one by one to finde out the account:

New Life Bible
"See, I have found this out," says the Preacher. "I have added one thing to another to find the reason,

New Revised Standard
See, this is what I found, says the Teacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Beholde, sayth the Preacher, this haue I found, seeking one by one to finde the count:

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, I have found this, says the Preacher, weighing one thing against another to find out the purposes,

Good News Translation
Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
See! this, have I found, saith the Proclaimer counting one by one, to find a conclusion;

Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-28) Lo this have I found, said Ecclesiastes, weighing one thing after another, that I might find out the account,

Revised Standard Version
Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Beholde (saith the preacher) this haue I diligently searched out and proued: One thing must be considered with another, that a man may come by knowledge, which as yet I seeke, and finde it not.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I find her to be, and I will pronounce to be more bitter than death the woman which is a snare, and her heart nets, who has a band in her hands: he that is good in the sight of God shall be delivered from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation,

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, this have I found, says Kohelet, one to another, to find out the scheme;

King James Version
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

Lexham English Bible
"Look! I found this," said the Teacher, "while trying to find how the plan fits together.

Literal Translation
Behold, I have found this, says the Preacher, counting one by one to find out the sum,

Young's Literal Translation
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde (sayeth ye preacher) this haue I diligently searched out & proued, yt I might come by knowlege: which as yet I seke, and fynde it not.

New American Standard Bible
"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "by adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

New King James Version
"Here is what I have found," says the Preacher, "Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

Legacy Standard Bible
"See, I have found this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

Contextual Overview

²³ I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, "I am determined to be wise." But it didn't work. ²⁴ Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. ²⁵ I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness. ²⁶ I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare. ²⁷ "This is my conclusion," says the Teacher. "I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸ Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹ But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

saith: Ecclesiastes 1:1, Ecclesiastes 1:2, Ecclesiastes 12:8-10

counting one by one, to find out the account: or, weighing one thing after another, to find out the reason, Ecclesiastes 7:25

Reciprocal: 1 Timothy 2:7 - a preacher

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, this have I found,.... That a harlot is more bitter than death; and which he found by his own experience, and therefore would have it observed by others for their caution: or one man among a thousand, Ecclesiastes 7:28;

(saith the preacher); of which title and character see Ecclesiastes 1:1; it is here mentioned to confirm the truth of what he said; he said it as a preacher, and, upon the word of a preacher, it was true; as also to signify his repentance for his sin, who was now the "gathered soul", as some render it; gathered into the church of God by repentance;

[counting] one by one, to find out the account; not his own sins, which he endeavoured to reckon up, and find out the general account of them, which yet he could not do; nor the good works of the righteous, and the sins of the wicked, which are numbered before the Lord one by one, till they are added to the great account; as Jarchi, from the Rabbins, interprets it, and so the Midrash: but rather the sense is, examining women, one by one, all within the verge of his acquaintance; particularly the thousand women that were either his wives or concubines; in order to take and give a just estimate of their character and actions. What follows is the result.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 27. Counting one by one — I have gone over every particular. I have compared one thing with another; man with woman, his wisdom with her wiles; his strength with her blandishments; his influence with her ascendancy; his powers of reason with her arts and cunning; and in a thousand men, I have found one thoroughly upright man; but among one thousand women I have not found one such. This is a lamentable account of the state of morals in Judea, in the days of the wise King Solomon. Thank God! it would not be difficult to get a tithe of both in the same number in the present day.

The Targum gives this a curious turn: - "There is another thing which my soul has sought, but could not find: a man perfect and innocent, and without corruption, from the days of Adam until Abraham the just was born; who was found faithful and upright among the thousand kings who came together to construct the tower of Babel: but a woman like to Sarah among the wives of all those kings I have not found."