Ecclesiastes 9
Legacy Standard Bible
Mankind Is in the Hand of God
9 For I have given all this to my heart and explain [a]it that righteous men, wise men, and their service are (A)in the hand of God. (B)Man does not know whether it will be (C)love or hatred; anything may be before him.
2 (D)It is the same for all. There is (E)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who [b]is afraid to swear. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is (F)one fate for all. Furthermore, (G)the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and (H)madness is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is confidence; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die; but the dead (I)do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for the (J)memory of them is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will never again have a (K)portion in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go then, (L)eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your (M)clothes be white all the time, and let not (N)oil be lacking on your head. 9 See life with the woman whom you love all the days of your (O)vain life, which He has given to you under the sun—all the days of your (P)vanity; for this is your (Q)portion in life and in your labor in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (R)do it with all your might; for there is no (S)working or explaining or knowledge or wisdom in (T)Sheol where you are going.
11 I again saw under the sun that the (U)race is not to the swift and the (V)battle is not to the mighty, and neither is bread to the wise nor (W)riches to the discerning nor favor to men who know; for time and (X)misfortune overtake them all. 12 Moreover, man does not (Y)know his time: like fish seized in an evil net and (Z)birds seized in a trap, so the sons of men are (AA)ensnared at an evil time when it (AB)suddenly falls on them.
13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and [c]it was great to me. 14 There (AC)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and built large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a (AD)poor wise man, and he provided a way of escape for the city (AE)by his wisdom. Yet (AF)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(AG)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The (AH)words of the wise heard in restfulness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (AI)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (AJ)one sinner destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit all this
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Lit fears an oath
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit great it was to me
Ecclesiastes 9
Lexham English Bible
The Same Fate—Death—Awaits Everyone
9 So all this I laid to my heart, and I concluded[a] that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in the hand of God. So no one knows anything that will come to them, whether it will be love or hatred. 2 The same fate comes to everyone:
to the righteous and to the wicked,
to the good and to the wicked,[b]
to the clean and to the unclean,
to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice.
As with the good man, so also to the sinner;
as with those who swear an oath, so also those who fear oaths.
3 This is the injustice[c] that is done under the sun:
the same fate comes to everyone.
Also the hearts of humans[d] are full of evil;
delusion is in their hearts during their lives, and then they die.
Death Deprives Humans of Everything in Life
4 Whoever is joined[e] to all the living has hope. After all, even a live dog is better than a dead lion! 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything. They no longer have a reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. 6 What they loved and hated, as well as what they desired, has already perished. They no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.
Enjoy Life While It Lasts
7 Go—eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart! For God already has approved your deeds. 8 Always be clothed in white garments, and never let your head lack oil! 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which he gives you under the sun, because this is your lot in life and in the toil with which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do—do it with all your might; for in Sheol—where you are going—no one works, plans, knows, or thinks about anything.
The Injustice of Time and Chance
11 I looked again and saw under the sun that the race does not belong to the swift, the battle does not belong to the mighty, food does not belong to the wise, wealth does not belong to the intelligent, and success[f] does not belong to the skillful, for time and chance befalls all of them. 12 For man does not know his time. Just as fish are caught in a cruel net and like birds who are seized in a snare, so also humans[g] are ensnared at a cruel time when it falls suddenly upon them.
Wisdom—Although Vulnerable—is Superior to Power
13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a small city with few people in it. A great king came and besieged it, building great siege works against it. 15 Now, a poor wise man was found in it, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. 16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, yet the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.
Wisdom—Although Vulnerable—is Superior to Folly
17 The words of the wise are heard in peace
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among the fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Or “examined”
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Several versions (Greek, Syriac, Latin) insert “and to the bad”
- Ecclesiastes 9:3 Literally “evil”
- Ecclesiastes 9:3 Literally “the sons of the man”
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 The Kethib reads “chosen,” but the Qere as well as all the versions and numerous medieval Hebrew manuscripts read “joined”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11 Or “favor”
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 Literally “the sons of the man”
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