Ecclesiastes 9

1 But all this I have laid unto 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 doth man know, the whole [is] before them.

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 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.

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 This [is] an evil among all that hath 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 — unto 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 But [to] him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it [is] better than to the 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 know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been forgotten.

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 Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, hath already perished, and they have no more a portion to the age in all that hath been 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 with joy thy bread, and drink with a glad heart thy wine, for already hath God been pleased with 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 At all times let thy garments be white, and let not perfume be lacking on thy head.

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

9 See life with the wife whom thou hast loved, all the days of the life of thy vanity, that He hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for it [is] thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at 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 All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going. (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 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 skilful grace, for time and chance happen with 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 even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these [are] the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.

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

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

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

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 there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered 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, 'Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' —

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 in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.

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

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

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