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 have drawn all these things through my heart, so that I might carefully understand. There are just men as well as wise men, and their works are in the hand of God. And yet a man does not know so much as whether he is worthy of love or of hatred.

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.

But all things in the future remain uncertain, because all things happen equally to the just and to the impious, to the good and to the bad, to the pure and to the impure, to those who offer sacrifices and to those who despise sacrifices. As the good are, so also are sinners. As those who commit perjury are, so also are those who swear to the truth.

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.

This is a very great burden among all things that are done under the sun: that the same things happen to everyone. And when the hearts of the sons of men are filled with malice and contempt in their lives, afterwards they shall be dragged down to hell. (questioned)

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.

There is no one who lives forever, or who even has confidence in this regard. 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 know that they themselves will die, yet truly the dead know nothing anymore, nor do they have any recompense. For the memory of them is forgotten.

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.

Likewise, love and hatred and envy have all perished together, nor have they any place in this age and in the work which 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.

So then, go and eat your bread with rejoicing, and drink your wine with gladness. For your works are pleasing to God.

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

Let your garments be white at all times, and let not oil be absent from 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.

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your uncertain life which have been given to you under the sun, during all the time of your vanity. For this is your portion in life and in your labor, with which you labor 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)

Whatever your hand is able to do, do it earnestly. For neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge will exist in death, toward which you are hurrying. (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 turned myself toward 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 wealth to the learned, nor grace to the skillful: but there is a time and an end for all these things.

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.

Man does not know his own end. But, just as fish are caught with a hook, and birds are captured with a snare, so are men seized in the evil time, when it will suddenly overwhelm them.

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

This wisdom, likewise, I have seen under the sun, and I have examined it intensely.

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;

There was a small city, with a few men in it. There came against it a great king, who surrounded it, and built fortifications all around it, and the blockade was completed.

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 there was found within it, a poor and wise man, and he freed the city through his wisdom, and nothing was recorded afterward of 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 so, I declared that wisdom is better than strength. But how is it, then, that the wisdom of the poor man is treated with contempt, and his words are not heeded?

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 silence, more so than the outcry of a prince among the foolish.

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

Wisdom is better than weapons of war. And whoever offends in one thing, shall lose many good things.