Ecclesiastes 9
New American Standard Bible
People Are in the Hand of God
9 For I have taken all this to my heart, even to [a]examine [b]it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are (A)in the hand of God. (B)People do not know whether it will be (C)love or hatred; anything [c]awaits them.
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 the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who [d]is afraid to swear an oath. 3 This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is (F)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, (G)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and (H)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die; but the dead (I)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their (J)memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a (K)share in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go then, (L)eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. 8 See that your (M)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of (N)oil on your head. 9 [e]Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your (O)futile life which He has given you under the sun, [f]all the days of your futility; for this is your (P)reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (Q)do it with all your might; for there is no (R)activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in (S)Sheol where you are going.
11 I again saw under the sun that the (T)race is not to the swift and the (U)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor (V)wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and (W)chance overtake them all. 12 For indeed, a person does not (X)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and (Y)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are (Z)ensnared at an evil time when it (AA)suddenly falls on them.
13 This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and [g]it impressed me: 14 there (AB)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a (AC)poor wise man, and he [h]saved the city (AD)by his wisdom. Yet (AE)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(AF)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are [i]ignored. 17 The (AG)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (AH)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (AI)one sinner destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Or explain
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit all this
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit is before them
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Lit fears an oath
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit See
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 all...your futility not found in some ancient versions
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit it was great to me
- Ecclesiastes 9:15 Or might have saved
- Ecclesiastes 9:16 Lit not listened to
Ecclesiastes 9
Common English Bible
Everyone faces the same fate
9 So I considered all of this carefully, examining all of it: The righteous and the wise and their deeds are in God’s hand, along with both love and hate. People don’t know anything that’s ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone. The same fate awaits the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the pure and the impure, those who sacrifice and those who don’t sacrifice. The good person is like the wrongdoer; the same holds for those who make solemn pledges and those who are afraid to swear. 3 This is the sad thing about all that happens under the sun: the same fate awaits everyone. Moreover, the human heart is full of evil; people’s minds are full of madness while they are alive, and afterward they die. 4 Whoever is among the living can be certain about this. A living dog is definitely better off than a dead lion, 5 because the living know that they will die. But the dead know nothing at all. There is no more reward for them; even the memory of them is lost. 6 Their love and their hate, as well as their zeal, are already long gone. They will never again have a stake in all that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food joyfully and drink your wine happily because God has already accepted what you do. 8 Let your garments always be white; don’t run short of oil for your head. 9 Enjoy life with your dearly loved spouse all the days of your pointless life that God[b] gives you under the sun—all the days of your pointless life![c]—because that’s your part to play[d] in this life and in your hard work under the sun. 10 Whatever you are capable of doing, do with all your might because there’s no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave,[e] which is where you are headed.
Listen to common wisdom, not fools
11 I also observed under the sun that the race doesn’t always go to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty, nor food to the wise, nor wealth to the intelligent, nor favor to the knowledgeable, because accidents can happen to anyone. 12 People most definitely don’t know when their time will come. Like fish tragically caught in a net or like birds trapped in a snare, so are human beings caught in a time of tragedy that suddenly falls to them.
13 I also observed the following example of wisdom under the sun—it impressed me greatly: 14 There was a small town with only a few residents. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and waged a terrible war against it. 15 Now there lived in that town a poor but wise man who saved everyone by his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I thought, Wisdom is better than might, but the wisdom of commoners is despised and their words aren’t heeded.
17 The calm words of the wise are better heeded than the racket caused by a ruler among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one incompetent person destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 LXX
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 Or he or that are given you
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 This phrase is missing in some LXX sources, Syr, and Tg.
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 Or portion
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Or underworld; Heb Sheol
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