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.

I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?

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.

Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.

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 just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.

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

But the living still have hope—a live 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.

The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're 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, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.

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

So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.

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

Always wear smart clothes and look good.

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.

Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.

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)

Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (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 thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.

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.

You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.

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

Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.

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.

Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.

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.

In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank 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.

As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.

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

It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

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

It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.