Ecclesiastes 9-10

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.

A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor. ² A wise man’s heart turns him toward the right [which is the way of blessing], but a fool’s heart turns him toward the left [which is the way of condemnation].^{(B) 3} Even when a fool walks along the road, his [common] sense and good judgment fail him and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴ If the temper of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post [showing resistance], because composure and calmness prevent great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceeds from the ruler— ⁶ folly is set in many exalted places and in great dignity while the rich sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the ground.

⁸ He who digs a pit [for others] may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a [stone] wall.^{(C) 9} He who quarries stones may be hurt with them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.^{(D) 10} If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort]. ¹¹ If the serpent bites before being charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer. ¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him; ¹³ the beginning of ^[a]his talking is foolishness and the end of his talk is wicked madness. ¹⁴ Yet the fool multiplies words, though no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after he is gone? ¹⁵ The labor of a fool so wearies him [because he is ignorant] that he does not even know how to go to a city. ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and when your [incompetent] officials and princes feast in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.^{(E) 18} Through laziness the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sags, and through idleness [the roof of] the house leaks. ¹⁹ The officials make a feast for enjoyment [instead of repairing what is broken], and serve wine to make life merry, and money is the answer to everything. ²⁰ Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.^(F)