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Ecclesiastes 9
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 9
King James Version
9 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
2 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.
3 This is an evil among all things that are 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.
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, 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 favour 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; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, 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 wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Ecclesiastes 9
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9
New International Version
A Common Destiny for All
9 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) 2 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)
3 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) 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 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)
6 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)
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(J) with a joyful heart,(K) for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white,(L) and always anoint your head with oil. 9 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.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
Ecclesiastes 9
EasyEnglish Bible
Ecclesiastes 9
EasyEnglish Bible
Everyone will die
9 I thought about all these things so that I could understand them. I realized that God controls what happens to people. That includes righteous people and wise people. God decides the things that they do. Nobody knows what will happen in their lives. Other people may love them, or they may hate them.
2 But there is something which happens to everyone. It happens to righteous people and it happens to wicked people. It happens to good people and it happens to bad people. It happens to people who are clean in front of God and it happens to people who are unclean. It happens to people who offer sacrifices to God and it happens to people who do not do that. It happens to good people and to people who turn away from God. It happens to people who make promises to God. It also happens to people who are afraid to do that. 3 Finally, the same thing happens to everyone on the earth. That seems to be a terrible thing. People choose to do evil things. While they are alive, they choose to live like fools. And after that, they die.
4 Anyone who is alive in the world has some hope for good things in the future. It is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a lion that is dead. 5 People who are alive know that they will die one day. But dead people do not know anything. No more good things can happen to them. Nobody remembers them. 6 Everything that they did in the world has finished. If they loved people, if they hated people, if they were jealous of people, all that has finished. They no longer having anything to do with the things that happen on the earth.
Enjoy life
7 So be happy as you eat your food. Be happy as you drink your wine. God is pleased with you as you do these things. 8 Always dress yourself well in good clothes. Use as much sweet oil as you need on your head. 9 Love your wife and enjoy your life together with her. God has given you your life. It is a short life and it is difficult to understand everything that happens. God wants you to enjoy these things as you do hard work during your life on the earth. 10 Use all your strength to do the work that you are doing. One day you will die and you will go into your grave. Then you will not have any work, or ideas, or knowledge or wisdom. So do your work well while you are alive.
11 I have seen another thing that happens here on the earth.
The runner who runs fastest does not always win the race.
The strongest soldiers do not always win the battle.
Very wise people do not always have food to eat.
Very clever people do not always become rich.
People who have learned many things are not always successful.
Yes, anything may happen to anyone at any time.
12 Nobody knows the time when trouble may come to them.
A fish does not know when somebody will catch it in a net.
A bird does not know when somebody will catch it in a trap.
In the same way, terrible trouble suddenly happens to people when they do not expect it.
Better to be wise than to be a fool
13 I saw something else that happens on the earth. It is a good example of what wisdom is like. 14 There was a small city and only a few people lived in it. A powerful king came to attack that city. His army made their camp around the city. They built heaps of earth all around it. 15 There was a man who lived in the city. He was poor but he was also wise. Because he was wise, he knew how to save the city. But after he saved it, nobody remembered that poor man.
16 So I realized that wisdom is better than power. But if you are poor, nobody accepts that you are also wise. People soon forget what you said.
17 A wise person speaks quietly.
But it is good to listen carefully to him.
His words have more value than a king
who is shouting to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons that are used to fight a war.
But one bad person can destroy many good things.
傳道書 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
傳道書 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
9 我仔細思想、探究這些事，就知道義人、智者及他們的行事為人都由上帝掌管，人無法知道前面等待自己的是愛還是恨。 2 義人和惡人、好人和壞人、潔淨的和污穢的、獻祭的和不獻祭的、行善的和犯罪的、敢於起誓的和不敢起誓的人，最終的命運都一樣。 3 在日光之下有一件可悲的事，就是人最終的命運都一樣。再者，人內心都充滿邪惡，活著的時候行事狂妄，最後都步入死亡。 4 有生命就有希望，一條活狗總比一頭死獅子強。 5 因為活著的人還知道自己終有一死，但死了的人什麼都不知道，再也得不到任何賞賜，他們被忘得一乾二淨。 6 他們的愛、恨和嫉妒早已不復存在，他們再也無法參與日光之下的事。
7 去歡歡喜喜、快快樂樂地吃喝吧！因為上帝已經悅納你所做的。 8 你的衣服要經常保持潔白，頭上也不要缺少膏油。 9 在你虛空的人生中，就是在上帝所賜、日光之下虛空的歲月裡，你要與愛妻快樂度日，因為這是你一生在日光之下的勞碌中所當得的。 10 凡你的手能做的，都要盡力去做，因為在你要去的陰間沒有工作，沒有計劃，也沒有知識和智慧。 11 我又發現，日光之下，跑得快的未必能得獎，強大的未必能得勝，智者未必得溫飽，聰明人未必有財富，博學者未必受愛戴，因為時機和境遇左右眾人。 12 再者，人無法知道何時大難臨頭。禍患突然臨到時，人根本無法擺脫，就像魚落入險惡的網中，又像鳥兒陷入網羅。 13 我看見日光之下有一種智慧，對我來說意義深遠。 14 有一個勢力強大的君王來攻擊一個人口不多的小城，他建造營壘圍困這城。 15 這城裡有一個貧窮的智者，他用智慧拯救了這城，但事後人們卻把他遺忘了。 16 我認為智慧勝過武力，然而那位窮人的智慧卻被輕視，他所說的話也無人理會。 17 智者的細語勝過官長在愚人中的喊叫。 18 智慧勝過兵器，但一個罪人卻能破壞許多善事。
Ecclesiastes 9
New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 9
New King James Version
Death Comes to All
9 For I [a]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: (A)that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 2 (B)All things come alike to all:
One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the [b]good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die;
But (C)the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For (D)the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.
7 Go, (E)eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
8 Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.
9 [c]Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; (F)for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.
10 (G)Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your (H)might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
11 I returned (I)and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and (J)chance happen to them all.
12 For (K)man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are (L)snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
Wisdom Superior to Folly
13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 (M)There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great [d]snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said:
“Wisdom is better than (N)strength.
Nevertheless (O)the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But (P)one sinner destroys much good.”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit. put
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 LXX, Syr., Vg. good and bad,
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit. See life
- Ecclesiastes 9:14 LXX, Syr., Vg. bulwarks
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.
EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.