Ecclesiastes 9

1 [I saw] that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: yea, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, [though] all are before their face.

For I thought about all this in my mind to understand about the righteous and wise people and their deeds. They are all in God's hands. No one knows whether love or hate will come to someone.

2 Vanity is in all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; both to the pure, and to the impure; both to him that sacrifices, and to him that sacrifice not: as is the good, so is the sinner: as is the swearer, even so is he that fears an oath.

Everyone has the same fate. The same fate awaits righteous people and wicked, the good, the clean and the unclean, and the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As good people will die, so also will the sinner. As the one who swears will die, so also will the man who fears to make an oath.

3 There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yea, the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after that [they go] to the dead.

There is an evil fate for everything that is done under the sun, the same event happens to them all. The hearts of human beings are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live. So after that they go to the dead.

4 for who is he that has fellowship with all the living? there is hope [of him]: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For anyone who is united to all the living, there is hope, just as a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living will know that they shall die: but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them; for their memory is lost.

For living people know they will die, but the dead do not know anything. They no longer have any reward because their memory is forgotten.

6 also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished; yea, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that is done under the sun.

Their love, hatred, and envy have vanished long ago. They will never have a place again in anything done under the sun.

7 Go, eat thy bread with mirth, and drink thy wine with a joyful heart; for now God has favourably accepted thy works.

Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of celebrating good works.

8 Let thy garments be always white; and let not oil be wanting on thine head.

Let your clothes be always white and your head anointed with oil.

9 And see life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which are given thee under the sun: for that is thy portion in thy life, and in thy labour wherein thou labourest under the sun.

Live happily with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of uselessness, the days that God has given you under the sun during your days of uselessness. That is your reward in life for your work under the sun.

10 Whatsoever thine hand shall find to do, do with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades wither thou goest. (Sheol h7585)

Whatever your hand finds to do, work at it with your strength, because there is no work or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going. (Sheol h7585)

11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet wealth to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; for time and chance will happen to them all.

I have seen some interesting things under the sun: The race does not belong to swift people. The battle does not belong to strong people. Bread does not belong to wise people. Riches do not belong to people of understanding. Favor does not belong to people of knowledge. Instead, time and chance affect them all.

12 For surely man also knows not his time: as fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in a snare; even thus the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.

Surely, no one knows when his time will come. As fish are caught in a deadly net, or birds are caught in a snare, the children of human beings are ensnared by evil times that suddenly fall upon them.

13 This I also saw [to be] wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:

I have also seen wisdom under the sun in a way that seemed great to me.

14 [suppose there were] a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;

There was a small city with only a few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great siege ramps against it.

15 and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.

Now in the city was found a poor, wise man, who by his wisdom saved the city. Yet later, no one remembered that same poor man.

16 And I said Wisdom is better than power: yet the wisdom of the poor man is set at nought, and his words not listened to.

So I concluded, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”

17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of them that rule in folly.

The words of wise people spoken quietly are heard better than the shouts of any ruler among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: and one sinner will destroy much good.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can ruin much good.