Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.

忧愁强如喜笑；因为面带愁容，终必使心喜乐。

忧愁强如喜笑，因为面带愁容，终必使心喜乐。

忧愁强如喜笑，因为面带愁容，终必使心喜乐。

哀伤胜过欢笑，因为哀伤磨炼人的心灵。

忧愁胜于嬉笑，因为面带愁容，能使内心得着好处。

忧烦好过欢笑，因为面带愁容，心也能喜乐。

憂愁強如喜笑；因為面帶愁容，終必使心喜樂。

憂愁強如喜笑，因為面帶愁容，終必使心喜樂。

憂愁強如喜笑，因為面帶愁容，終必使心喜樂。

哀傷勝過歡笑，因為哀傷磨煉人的心靈。

憂愁勝於嬉笑，因為面帶愁容，能使內心得著好處。

愁苦比喜笑好，因為由於愁容、心就好些。

憂煩好過歡笑，因為面帶愁容，心也能喜樂。

憂戚愈於嬉笑、蓋面有憂、致心正焉、

喜笑不如憂愁、色雖有憂、心則克正。

憂愁愈於嬉笑、因面有憂容、心必向善、

Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

Not being able to figure things out is better than laughter. That’s because sorrow is good for the heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.

Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

Sorrow[ is] better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return!Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.

“ Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.“ All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives. The clan of David will mourn alone, as will the clan of Nathan,the clan of Levi, and the clan of Shimei.Each of the surviving clans from Judah will mourn separately, and with the husbands separate from their wives.

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening— it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

This is what the Lord says:“ A cry is heard in Ramah— deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted— for her children are gone.”But now this is what the Lord says:“ Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord.“ Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy.There is hope for your future,” says the Lord.“ Your children will come again to their own land.I have heard Israel saying,‘ You disciplined me severely, like a calf that needs training for the yoke. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord my God.I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’“ Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord.“ I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.

What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you. What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.

I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.

When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks.All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

“ Don’t be afraid,” he said,“ for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him,“ Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

“ In those coming days,” says the Lord,“ the people of Israel will return home together with the people of Judah. They will come weeping and seeking the Lord their God.They will ask the way to Jerusalem and will start back home again. They will bind themselves to the Lord with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten.

God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:“ O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.“ Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you.O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets.All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.“ So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin.You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem.Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth.Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.“ O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness.In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.“ O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.“ O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city— the city that bears your name— lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.“ O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”