King James Version

Ecclesiastes 7:13

Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

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Hebrew

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רְאֵ֖הreehseeרָאָהverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “see”, a commandH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).מַעֲשֵׂ֣הmaasehbusinessמַעֲשֶׂהnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “business”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4639an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) propertyact, art, [phrase] bakemeat, business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, [idiom] well, (handy-, needle-, net-) work(ing, -manship), wrought.הָאֱלֹהִ֑יםhaelohimthe Godאֱלֹהִיםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the God”, the ordinary formH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.כִּ֣יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…מִ֤יmiwhoמִיparticle, interrogative — “who”H4310who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffixany (man), [idiom] he, [idiom] him, [phrase] O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), [phrase] would to God.יוּכַל֙yukhalbe ableיָכֹלverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be able”, an unfinished actionH3201to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.לְתַקֵּ֔ןletaqento make straightתָּקַןpreposition, verb, piel, infinitive construct — “to make straight”, the to-form of the verbH8626to equalize, i.e. straighten (intransitive or transitive); figuratively, to composeset in order, make straight.אֵ֖תetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).אֲשֶׁ֥רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…עִוְּתֽוֹivtvocrookedעָוַתverb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “crooked”, a completed actionH5791to wrestbow self, (make) crooked., falsifying, overthrow, deal perversely, pervert, subvert, turn upside down.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Consider the work of God; for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

Young’s Literal Translation

See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?

World English Bible

Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?

Darby Translation

Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?

Douay-Rheims

For as wisdom is a defence, so money is a defence: but learning and wisdom excel in this, that they give life to him that possesseth them.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Consider the work of God; for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Behold the works of God: for who shall be able to straighten him whom God has made crooked?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἴδε τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι τίς δυνήσεται κοσμῆσαι ὃν ἂν ὁ Θεὸς διαστρέψῃ αὐτόν;