Ecclesiastes 9

1 All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them.

All these things have I considered in my heart, that I might carefully understand them: there are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of God: and yet man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love, or hatred:

2 Because to all there is one event, to the upright man and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him who makes an offering and to him who makes no offering; as is the good so is the sinner; he who takes an oath is as he who has fear of it.

But all things are kept uncertain for the time to come, because all things equally happen to the just and to the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him that offereth victims, and to him that despiseth sacrifices. As the good is, so also is the sinner: as the perjured, so he also that sweareth truth.

3 This is evil in all things which are done under the sun: that there is one fate for all, and the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; while they have life their hearts are foolish, and after that — to the dead.

This is a very great evil among all things that are done under the sun, that the same things happen to all men: whereby also the hearts of the children of men are filled with evil, and with contempt while they live, and afterwards they shall be brought down to hell. (questioned)

4 For him who is joined to all the living there is hope; a living dog is better than a dead lion.

There is no man that liveth always, or that hopeth for this: a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 The living are conscious that death will come to them, but the dead are not conscious of anything, and they no longer have a reward, because there is no memory of them.

For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing more, neither have they a reward any more: for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Their love and their hate and their envy are now ended; and they have no longer a part for ever in anything which is done under the sun.

Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy are all perished, neither have they any part in this world, and in the work that is done under the sun.

7 Come, take your bread with joy, and your wine with a glad heart. God has taken pleasure in your works.

Go then, and eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with gladness: because thy works please God.

8 Let your clothing be white at all times, and let not your head be without oil.

At all times let thy garments be white, and let not oil depart from thy head.

9 Have joy with the woman of your love all the days of your foolish life which he gives you under the sun. Because that is your part in life and in your work which you do under the sun.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest, all the days of thy unsteady life, which are given to thee under the sun, all the time of thy vanity: for this is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherewith thou labourest under the sun.

10 Whatever comes to your hand to do with all your power, do it because there is no work, or thought, or knowledge, or wisdom in the place of the dead to which you are going. (Sheol h7585)

Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening. (Sheol h7585)

11 And again I saw under the sun that the reward goes not to him who is quick, or the fruits of war to the strong; and there is no bread for the wise, or wealth for men of learning, or respect for those who have knowledge; but time and chance come to all.

I turned me to another thing, and I saw that under the sun, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the learned, nor favour to the skillful: but time and chance in all.

12 Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

Man knoweth not his own end: but as fishes are taken with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them.

13 This again I have seen under the sun as wisdom and it seemed great to me.

This wisdom also I have seen under the sun, and it seemed to me to be very great:

14 There was a little town and the number of its men was small, and there came a great king against it and made an attack on it, building works of war round about it.

A little city, and few men in it: there came against it a great king, and invested it, and built bulwarks round about it, and the siege was perfect.

15 Now there was in the town a poor, wise man, and he, by his wisdom, kept the town safe. But no one had any memory of that same poor man.

Now there was found in it a man poor and wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man afterward remembered that poor man.

16 Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is not respected, and his words are not given a hearing.

And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard?

17 The words of the wise which come quietly to the ear are noted more than the cry of a ruler among the foolish.

The words of the wise are heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than instruments of war, but one sinner is the destruction of much good.

Better is wisdom, than weapons of war: and he that shall offend in one, shall lose many good things.