Ecclesiastes 9
Amplified Bible
Men Are in the Hand of God
9 For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
2 It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath. 3 This evil is in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all. Also, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they go to the dead. 4 [There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they no longer have a reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hatred and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share [in this age] in anything that is done under the sun.
7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God]; for God has already approved and accepted your works. 8 Let your clothes always be white [with purity], and do not let the oil [of gladness] be lacking on your head. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given you under the sun—all the days of vanity and futility. For this is your reward in life and in your work in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) where you are going.
11 I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all.(A) 12 For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.
13 This [illustration of] wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and great it was to me: 14 There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great battlements against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor wise man, and by his wisdom he rescued the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that wisdom is better than strength, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded. 17 The words of wise men heard in quietness are better than the shouting of one who rules among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Ecclesiastes 9
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 9
Love, Hatred, and Death.[a] 1 To all this I have applied my mind, and I came to this conclusion: the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. As to whether they will earn love or hatred, we have no way of knowing. 2 Everything that confronts them is futile, inasmuch as the same fate comes to all, to the upright, and the wicked, to the good and the bad, to the clean and the unclean, to those who offer sacrifice and those who do not.
As it is with the good person,
so is it with the sinner;
as it is with the one who takes an oath,
so is it with the one who is fearful of doing so.
3 The worst evil of all the things that happen under the sun is this: that the same fate befalls everyone. Moreover, the hearts of men are filled with evil; madness is in their hearts throughout their lives, and afterward they descend to the dead. 4 However, the one who is counted among the living still has hope. It is preferable to be a living dog rather than a dead lion.
5 The living realize that they will die,
whereas the dead know nothing whatever.
They will have no further reward,
and even the memory of them will be obliterated.
6 For them all love and hatred and jealousy
have already perished.
Never again will they have any share
in anything that is done under the sun.
Eat, Drink, and Love.[b] 7 Go forth, then. Eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God long ago approved what you do. 8 At all times dress in white garments and always anoint your head with oil.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love throughout all the days of your allotted span of life that have been given to you under the sun, because that is your lot while you live and labor here under the sun. 10 Whatever task your hand finds to do, expend all your efforts on it, for you will find no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom in the netherworld to which you are going.
11 Destiny and Life. Another thing I have observed here under the sun:
The race is not won by the swift,
nor the battle by the brave.
Food does not belong to the wise,
nor wealth to the intelligent,
nor success to the skillful.
Rather, time and chance govern all alike.
12 For no one is able to anticipate the time of disaster:
Like fish caught in a treacherous net,
and like birds caught in a snare,
so people are trapped
when misfortune suddenly falls upon them.
13 War and Peace.[c] I have also seen the following example of wisdom under the sun, and I find it of great significance.
14 There was a small town with very few inhabitants. A great king advanced against it and surrounded it while building great siege-works. 15 In the town there lived a man who, though poor, was wise, and by his wisdom he delivered the town. Yet no one remembered this poor man afterward. 16 Therefore, I said, “Wisdom is better than power.” Yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words go unheeded.
A Wise Man in the City of Fools[d]
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one mistake can undo a great deal of good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Qoheleth does not yet foresee the hope of a resurrection, and the pious teachings concerning prosperity of the righteous and the ruin of the wicked have for him a taste of useless opium. But he clings to the idea that it is good to live!
- Ecclesiastes 9:7 In the modest trilogy (eat, drink, and love) of happiness, love, which endures for a lifetime, replaces the joy of labor. Even if Qoheleth hasn’t the slightest presentiment of an eternal life, he has learned to accept the present as a gift of God.
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Wisdom is more important than arms to save nations, but humankind seems unable to understand this. In all the eras of history, it prefers to keep the memory of its war leaders.
- Ecclesiastes 9:17 Qoheleth inserts some sayings and illustrations on the subject of chance. Merit means nothing in the face of chance (Eccl 9:11-12), and many things succeed or fail because of trivial causes (Eccl 9:13—10:20); hence risk is an essential part of life (Eccl 11:1-6).
Еклисиаст 9
Библия, синодално издание
9 Към всичко това обърнах сърцето си, за да изпитам, че праведници и мъдреци и техните работи са в Божия ръка, и че човек не знае ни любов, ни омраза във всичко това, що е пред него.
2 (A)За всекиго и за всички – едно: една съдба за праведник и нечестивец, за добър (и лош), за чист и нечист, за който принася жертви и който не принася; както за добродетелен, тъй и за грешник; както за който се кълне, тъй и за който се бои от клетва.
3 (B)Това е тъкмо лошото във всичко, що се върши под слънцето, че една съдба е за всички, и сърцето на синовете човешки е пълно със зло, и в сърцето им, в живота им има безумие; а след това те отиват при умрелите.
4 Който е още между живите, има още надежда, понеже и куче живо е по-добре, нежели мъртъв лъв.
5 (C)Живите знаят, че ще умрат, а мъртвите нищо не знаят, и вече няма за тях награда, понеже и поменът за тях е предаден на забрава,
6 и любовта им, и омразата им, и ревността им са вече изчезнали, и нямат вече дял довека в нищо, що се върши под слънцето.
7 И тъй, иди, яж радостно хляба си и пий с радостно сърце виното си, щом Бог има благоволение към твоите работи.
8 (D)Във всяко време да ти бъдат дрехите бели, и да има винаги елей на главата ти.
9 (E)През всички дни на суетния си живот наслаждавай се от живота заедно с жената, която обичаш, и която ти е дал Бог под слънцето за всички твои суетни дни; защото това е твой дял в живота и в твоите трудове, с които се трудиш под слънцето.
10 Всичко, що може да върши ръката ти, според силите си върши; защото в гроба, където ще идеш, няма ни работа, ни мислене, ни знание, ни мъдрост.
11 (F)Па се обърнах и видях под слънцето, че не на пъргави се дава сполучлив бяг, нито на храбри – победа, нито на мъдри – хляб, нито на разумни – богатство, нито на изкусни – благосклонност, но времето и случаят помагат на всички тях.
12 (G)Защото човек си не знае времето. Както рибите налетяват в пагубна мрежа, и както птиците се заплитат в примки, тъй и синовете човешки се улавят в усилно време, кога дойде то неожидано върху тях.
13 Ето още каква мъдрост видях под слънцето, и тя ми се стори важна:
14 малък град, и в него малко човеци; дойде против него велик цар, обсади го и захвана против него големи обсадни работи;
15 (H)ала в него се намери човек сиромах, но умен, и той спаси с мъдростта си тоя град; и при все това никой се не сети за тоя сиромах.
16 (I)И казах аз: мъдрост е по-добро от сила, и при все това мъдростта на сиромаха се пренебрегва, и думите му се не слушат.
17 Думи на мъдреци, изказани спокойно, се изслушват по-добре, нежели крясък на властелин между глупави.
18 (J)Мъдрост е по-добро от войнишки сечива; но един, който погреши, ще погуби много добри неща.
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