Ecclesiastes 9
1 [I saw] that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: yes, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, [though] all are before their face.
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 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.
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 There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes, 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.
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 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.
But the living still have hope—a live 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.
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 also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished; yes, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that 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 Go, eat your bread with mirth, and drink your wine with a joyful heart; for now God has favourably accepted 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 garments be always white; and let not oil be lacking on your head.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 And see life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which are given you under the sun: for that is your portion in your life, and in your labor wherein you labor 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 Whatsoever your hand shall find to do, do with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades wither you go. (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 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 favor to men of knowledge; for time and chance will happen to them 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 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.
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 I also saw [to be] wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
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;
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 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.
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 And I said Wisdom is better than power: yet the wisdom of the poor man is set at nothing, and his words not listened to.
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 are heard in quiet more than the cry of them that rule in folly.
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 weapons of war: and one sinner will destroy much good.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
