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For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. [a]For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil. [b]Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand [c]findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. 11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. 13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.

10 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer [d]to send forth an evil odor; so doth a little folly [e]outweigh wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his [f]understanding faileth him, and he saith [g]to every one that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for [h]gentleness allayeth great offences. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler: folly is set in great [i]dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him. Whoso [j]heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby. 10 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. 11 [k]If the serpent bite [l]before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in [m]the charmer. 12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of [n]his talk is mischievous madness. 14 A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him? 15 The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city. 16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a [o]child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is [p]the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18 By slothfulness the [q]roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things. 20 Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

Notas al pie

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Another reading is, For who is exempted? With all etc., or who can choose? With all etc.
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Or, Enjoy (Hebrew See) life
  3. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Or, attaineth to do by they strength, that do
  4. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Or, to stink and putrefy
  5. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Or, him that is valued for wisdom
  6. Ecclesiastes 10:3 Hebrew heart.
  7. Ecclesiastes 10:3 Or, of
  8. Ecclesiastes 10:4 Or, calmness leaveth great sins undone
  9. Ecclesiastes 10:6 Hebrew heights.
  10. Ecclesiastes 10:9 Or, moveth stones
  11. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Or, Surely the serpent will bite where there is no enchantment; and the slanderer is no better
  12. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Hebrew without enchantment.
  13. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Hebrew the master of the tongue.
  14. Ecclesiastes 10:13 Hebrew his mouth.
  15. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or, servant
  16. Ecclesiastes 10:17 Or, a free man
  17. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Or, rafters sink

A Common Destiny for All

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(A) All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,
    so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
    so with those who are afraid to take them.(B)

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(C) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(D) and afterward they join the dead.(E) Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

For the living know that they will die,
    but the dead know nothing;(F)
they have no further reward,
    and even their name(G) is forgotten.(H)
Their love, their hate
    and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
    in anything that happens under the sun.(I)

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(J) with a joyful heart,(K) for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white,(L) and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife,(M) 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(N) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(O) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(P) for in the realm of the dead,(Q) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(R)

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,(S)
nor does food come to the wise(T)
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(U) happen to them all.(V)

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(W)
    that fall unexpectedly upon them.(X)

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(Y) 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.(Z) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(AA)

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
    than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(AB) 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(AC) outweighs wisdom and honor.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
    but the heart of the fool to the left.
Even as fools walk along the road,
    they lack sense
    and show everyone(AD) how stupid they are.
If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
    do not leave your post;(AE)
    calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(AF)

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
    the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions,(AG)
    while the rich occupy the low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback,
    while princes go on foot like slaves.(AH)

Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(AI)
    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(AJ)
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(AK)

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.(AL)

12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(AM)
    but fools are consumed by their own lips.(AN)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
    at the end they are wicked madness—
14     and fools multiply words.(AO)

No one knows what is coming—
    who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(AP)

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[c](AQ)
    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.(AR)

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
    because of idle hands, the house leaks.(AS)

19 A feast is made for laughter,
    wine(AT) makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king(AU) even in your thoughts,
    or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
    and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Notas al pie

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
  3. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child