Ecclesiastes 9
1 Omnia haec tractavi in corde meo, ut curiose intelligerem: Sunt iusti atque sapientes, et opera eorum in manu Dei: et tamen nescit homo utrum amore, an odio dignus sit:
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 sed omnia in futurum servantur incerta, eo quod universa aeque eveniant iusto et impio, bono et malo, mundo et immundo, immolanti victimas, et sacrificia contemnenti. sicut bonus, sic et peccator: ut periurus, ita et ille qui verum deierat.
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 Hoc est pessimum inter omnia, quae sub sole fiunt, quia eadem cunctis eveniunt. unde et corda filiorum hominum implentur malitia, et contemptu in vita sua, et post haec ad inferos deducentur. (questioned)
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 Nemo est qui semper vivat, et qui huius rei habeat fiduciam: melior est canis vivus leone mortuo.
But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5 Viventes enim sciunt se esse morituros, mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius, nec habent ultra mercedem: quia oblivioni tradita est memoria eorum.
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 Amor quoque, et odium, et invidiae simul perierunt, nec habent partem in hoc saeculo, et in opere, quod sub sole geritur.
Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7 Vade ergo et comede in laetitia panem tuum, et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum: quia Deo placent opera tua.
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 Omni tempore sint vestimenta tua candida, et oleum de capite tuo non deficiat.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 Perfruere vita cum uxore, quam diligis, cunctis diebus vitae instabilitatis tuae, qui dati sunt tibi sub sole omni tempore vanitatis tuae: haec est enim pars in vita, et in labore tuo, quo laboras sub sole.
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 Quodcumque facere potest manus tua, instanter operare: quia nec opus, nec ratio, nec sapientia, nec scientia erunt apud inferos, quo tu properas. (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 Verti me ad aliud, et vidi sub sole, nec velocium esse cursum, nec fortium bellum, nec sapientium panem, nec doctorum divitias, nec artificum gratiam: sed tempus, casumque in omnibus.
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 Nescit homo finem suum: sed sicut pisces capiuntur hamo, et sicut aves laqueo comprehenduntur, sic capiuntur homines in tempore malo, cum eis extemplo supervenerit.
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 Hanc quoque sub sole vidi sapientiam, et probavi maximam:
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
14 Civitas parva, et pauci in ea viri: venit contra eam rex magnus, et vallavit eam, extruxitque munitiones per gyrum, et perfecta est obsidio.
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 Inventusque est in ea vir pauper et sapiens, et liberavit urbem per sapientiam suam, et nullus deinceps recordatus est hominis illius pauperis.
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 Et dicebam ego, meliorem esse sapientiam fortitudine: quomodo ergo sapientia pauperis contempta est, et verba eius non sunt audita?
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 Verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio plus quam clamor principis inter stultos.
It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Melior est sapientia, quam arma bellica: et qui in uno peccaverit, multa bona perdet.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
