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Read the Bible

New Life Version

Ecclesiastes 7:21

Do not listen to all the things that are said, or you might hear your servant cursing 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

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:
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:
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 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 Wisdom with a gift passed down from father to son is good and a help to those who see the sun. 12 For wisdom keeps one from danger just as money keeps one from danger. But the good thing about much learning is that wisdom keeps alive those who have it. 13 Think of the work of God, for who is able to make straight what He has not made straight? 14 In the day of well-being be happy. But in the day of trouble, think about this: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man can never know what is going to happen. 15 In the days of my life I have seen everything, but my life has been worth nothing. There is a right and good man who is destroyed while he is right and good. And there is a sinful man who lives long in his wrong-doing. 16 Do not be too right and good, and do not be too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Do not be too sinful, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you take hold of one thing, and do not let go of the other. For the one who fears God will have both of them. 19 Wisdom gives more strength to a wise man than ten rulers have in a city. 20 For sure there is not a right and good man on earth who always does good and never sins.

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
Then God said to Noah, "I have decided to make an end to all the people on the earth. They are the cause of very much trouble. See, I will destroy them as I destroy the earth.
Genesis 6:17
See, I will bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh under heaven that has the breath of life. Everything on earth will be destroyed.
Genesis 7:3
And take with you seven of every kind of bird of the sky of each sex, to keep their kind alive over all the earth.
Genesis 7:4
In seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from the land every living thing that I have made."
Genesis 7:6
Noah was 600 years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.
Genesis 7:7
Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives all went into the large boat because of the water of the flood.
Genesis 7:15
They went into the large boat with Noah, two of every living thing.
Genesis 7:17
The flood came upon the earth for forty days. The water got deeper and raised up the large boat so that it was lifted above the earth.
Genesis 7:20
But the water went about four times taller than a man above the tops of the mountains.
Genesis 7:22
Every thing that had the breath of life and lived on 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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