Ecclesiastes 7:20

Modern

Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Traditional

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Literal

For there is not a righteous man on the earth who does good and does not sin.

Latin

…non est enim homo justus in terra qui faciat bonum et non peccet.

Hebrew

English

Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

no righteous man...never sins: See 1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:23.

God's control over everything is serious, but it gives us hope.

Theme notes and profiles

Romans 3:23
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
1 John 1:8–10
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?
1 Kings 8:46
When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,
Job 15:14–16
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
2 Chronicles 6:36
When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near,
Psalm 143:2
Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.
Psalm 130:3
If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?