Ecclesiastes 9

1 But all this I have laid to my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred does man know, the whole [is] before them.

[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.

2 The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing an oath.

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.

3 This [is] an evil among all that has been done under the sun, that one event [is] to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart during their life, and after it—to the dead.

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.

4 But [to] him who is joined to all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it [is] better than to the dead lion.

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.

5 For the living know that they die, and the dead do not know anything, and there is no more reward to them, for their remembrance has been forgotten.

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.

6 Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, has already perished, and they have no more portion for all time in all that has been done under the sun.

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.

7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a glad heart, for already has God been pleased with your works.

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

8 At all times let your garments be white, and do not let oil be lacking on your head.

Let your garments be always white; and let not oil be lacking on your head.

9 See life with the wife whom you have loved, all the days of the life of your vanity, that He has given to you under the sun, all the days of your vanity, for it [is] your portion in life, even of your labor that you are laboring at under the sun.

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 labour wherein you labour under the sun.

10 All that your hand finds to do, with your power do, for there is no work, and plan, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol to where you are going. (Sheol h7585)

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)

11 I have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift [is] the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skillful grace, for time and chance happen with them all.

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.

12 For even man does not know his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, the sons of man are snared like these at an evil time when it falls on them suddenly.

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.

13 This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.

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

14 A little city, and few men in it, and a great king has come to it, and has surrounded it, and has built against it great bulwarks;

[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;

15 and there has been found in it a poor wise man, and he has delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!

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.

16 And I said, “Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.”

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.

17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.

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

18 Better [is] wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroys much good!

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