Ecclesiastes 9
English Standard Version
Death Comes to All
9 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, (A)how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are (B)in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 (C)It is the same for all, since (D)the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil,[a] to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who (E)swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that (F)the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and (G)madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but (H)the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for (I)the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
Enjoy Life with the One You Love
7 Go, (J)eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
8 (K)Let your garments be always white. Let not (L)oil be lacking on your head.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your (M)vain[b] life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your (N)portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (O)do it with your might,[c] (P)for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
11 (Q)Again I saw that under the sun (R)the race is not to the swift, nor (S)the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and (T)chance (U)happen to them all. 12 For man (V)does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and (W)like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are (X)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 (Y)a poor, wise man, and he by his (Z)wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that (AA)wisdom is better than might, though (AB)the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.
17 The words of the wise heard in (AC)quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (AD)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (AE)one sinner destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks and the evil
- 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 9
Maori Bible
9 Na ko tenei katoa he mea whakaaro na toku ngakau, ara kia ata tirotirohia tenei katoa; ko te hunga tika, ko te hunga whakaaro nui, me a ratou mahi, kei roto i te ringa o te Atua: e kore te tangata e mohio he aroha ranei, he kino ranei; kei to rat ou aroaro nga mea katoa.
2 He rite tonu te panga mai o nga mea katoa ki nga tangata katoa; kotahi tonu te mea e pa ana ki te tangata tika, ki te tangata kino; ki te pai, ki te ma, ki te poke; ki te tangata i te patunga tapu, ki te tangata kahore nei ana patunga tapu: ko te tangata pai rite tonu ki te tangata hara, ko te tangata e oati ana, ki te tangata e wehi ana i te oati.
3 He he tenei i roto i nga mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra, kotahi tonu te mea e pa ana ki te katoa; ko te ngakau ano hoki o nga tama a te tangata ki tonu i te kino; kei roto hoki te haurangi i o ratou ngakau i a ratou e ora ana; a muri iho k a riro ratou ki nga tupapaku.
4 Ko te tangata hoki e tuhono ana ki te hunga ora katoa ka whai tumanakohanga: pai atu hoki te kuri ora i te raiona mate.
5 E mohio ana hoki te hunga ora tera ratou e mate: ko nga tupapaku ia, kahore o ratou mohio ki tetahi mea, kahore ake hoki he utu i a ratou; ka warewaretia hoki te mahara ki a ratou.
6 Ko to ratou aroha hoki, ko to ratou riri, ko to ratou hae, kua kore noa ake; kahore hoki he wahi i a ratou a ake ake, o nga mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra.
7 Haere, kainga tau kai i runga i te hari, inumia hoki tau waina i runga i te ngakau hari; no te mea kua manako noa ke te Atua ki au mahi.
8 I nga wa katoa kia ma ou kakahu: kaua hoki e whakakahoretia te hinu mo tou mahunga.
9 Kia ora tou ngakau i tou hoa wahine e aroha na koe i nga ra katoa o tou oranga horihori, i homai nei ki a koe i raro i te ra, i nga ra katoa o tou horihori: ko te wahi hoki tena mou i tenei ao, i tou mauiui ano hoki e mauiui na koe i raro i te ra.
10 Ko nga mea katoa e kitea e tou ringa kia mahia, kia puta tou uaua ki te mahi; kahore hoki he mahi, kahore he tikanga, kahore he matauranga, kahore he whakaaro nui i te reinga, i te wahi ka haere atu na koe ki reira.
11 I hoki ahau, a i kite ahau i raro i te ra, ehara i te mea ko te hunga tere e puta i te oma, ko te hunga marohirohi ranei e toa i te pakanga, ko te hunga whakaaro nui ranei e whiwhi i te taro, ko te hunga mohio ranei e whiwhi i te taonga, ko te h unga tohunga ranei e manakohia, engari na te wa, na te tupono noa, i homai ki a ratou katoa.
12 Kahore hoki te tangata e mohio ki te wa mona: he rite ki nga ika e haoa ana ki te kupenga nanakia, ki nga manu hoki e mau ana i te mahanga, he pera ano hoki nga tama a te tangata, e mahangatia ana i te wa whakarihariha, ina puta whakarere mai ki a ratou.
13 I kitea ano e ahau te whakaaro nui penei i raro i te ra, a he mea nui ki ahau:
14 Tera tetahi pa iti, me ona tangata torutoru i roto; na ka haere mai tetahi kingi nui ki te tu i reira, whakapaea ana e ia, hanga ana e ia etahi pourewa nunui hei tatau atu ki reira.
15 Na i kitea tetahi tangata rawakore, whakaaro nui, i roto, a nana, na tona whakaaro nui, ka ora te pa; otiia kihai tetahi tangata i mahara ki taua tangata rawakore.
16 Na ko taku kianga ake, Engari rawa te whakaaro nui i te kaha: heoi whakahaweatia iho nga whakaaro nui o te rawakore, kihai hoki ana kupu i whakarangona.
17 Ko nga kupu a te hunga whakaaro nui, he mea ata korero, e rangona nuitia ake ana i te hamama a te rangatira o nga wairangi.
18 Pai ake te whakaaro nui i nga rakau o te riri: otiia kotahi noa te tangata hara, he nui tana pai e takakino ai.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
