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Ecclesiastes 9:7-10:19
English Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10:19
English Standard Version
Enjoy Life with the One You Love
7 Go, (A)eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
8 (B)Let your garments be always white. Let not (C)oil be lacking on your head.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your (D)vain[a] life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your (E)portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (F)do it with your might,[b] (G)for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
11 (H)Again I saw that under the sun (I)the race is not to the swift, nor (J)the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and (K)chance (L)happen to them all. 12 For man (M)does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and (N)like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are (O)snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it (P)a poor, wise man, and he by his (Q)wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that (R)wisdom is better than might, though (S)the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.
17 The words of the wise heard in (T)quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (U)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (V)one sinner destroys much good.
10 Dead flies make (W)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 (X)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he (Y)says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, (Z)do not leave your place,
(AA)for calmness[c] will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were (AB)an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 (AC)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 (AD)I have seen slaves (AE)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who (AF)digs a pit will fall into it,
and (AG)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 (AH)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who (AI)splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.[d]
11 If the serpent bites before it is (AJ)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth (AK)win him favor,[e]
but (AL)the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 (AM)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him (AN)what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know (AO)the way to the city.
16 (AP)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for (AQ)drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and (AR)wine gladdens life,
and (AS)money answers everything.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Or finds to do with your might, do it
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
- Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10:19
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10:19
New International Version
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(A) with a joyful heart,(B) for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white,(C) and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife,(D) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(E) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(F) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(G) for in the realm of the dead,(H) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(I)
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(J)
nor does food come to the wise(K)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(L) happen to them all.(M)
12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(N)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(O)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(P) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(Q) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(R)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(S) is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(T) outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(U) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(V)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(W)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,(X)
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.(Y)
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(Z)
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(AA)
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(AB)
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.(AC)
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(AD)
but fools are consumed by their own lips.(AE)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and fools multiply words.(AF)
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(AG)
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a](AH)
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(AI)
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.(AJ)
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine(AK) makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.