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Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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World English Bible

Ecclesiastes 7:21

Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

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

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.
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take no heede vnto euery word that is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse thee:
Darby Translation
Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.
New King James Version
Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
Literal Translation
Also, do not give your heart to all the words they speak, that you not hear your servant cursing you.
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't listen to everything people say. You might hear your own servant saying bad things about you.
King James Version (1611)
Also take no heede vnto all words that are spoken; lest thou heare thy seruant curse thee.
King James Version
Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take not hede vnto euery worde yt is spoken, lest thou heare thy seruaunt curse the:
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?
Amplified Bible
Also, do not take seriously everything that is said, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you,
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.
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.
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;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Giue not thine heart also to all ye wordes that men speake, lest thou doe heare thy seruant cursing thee.
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;
Hebrew Names Version
Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;
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.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For there is not a righteous man in the earth, who will do good, and not sin
English Revised Version
Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
Berean Standard Bible
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may 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.
Lexham English Bible
Do not pay attention to everything people say, lest you hear your own servant curse you.
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.
Good News Translation
Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you,
Christian Standard Bible®
Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But also yyue thou not thin herte to alle wordis, that ben seid; lest perauenture thou here thi seruaunt cursynge 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.

Contextual Overview

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun. 12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. 13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him. 15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evil-doing. 16 Don't be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don't be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don't withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come forth from them all. 19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn't sin.

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
God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Genesis 6:17
I, even, I do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.
Genesis 7:3
Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.
Genesis 7:4
In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."
Genesis 7:6
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.
Genesis 7:7
Noah went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.
Genesis 7:15
They went to Noah into the ark, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.
Genesis 7:17
The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.
Genesis 7:20
The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
Genesis 7:22
All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that 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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