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.

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!

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:

¹² Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

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)

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰ What then shall we say?^(A) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;^{(B) 31} but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,^(C) have not attained their goal.^{(D) 32} Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^{(E) 33} As it is written:

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire^(G) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous^(H) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.^{(I) 4} Christ is the culmination of the law^(J) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.^(K)

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[b](L) 6} But the righteousness that is by faith^(M) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[c](N) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[d](O) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{(P) 8} But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[e](Q) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare^(R) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(S) and believe^(T) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(U) you will be saved.^{(V) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[f](W) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(X)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(Y) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(Z) will be saved.”^[g](AA)

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[h](AB)

¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.^(AC) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^{[i](AD) 17} Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,^(AE) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.^{(AF) 18} But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

¹⁹ Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

²⁰ And Isaiah boldly says,

²¹ But concerning Israel he says,