Enjoy Life Despite Death

Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands.(A) People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. Everything is the same for everyone:(B) There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked,(C) for the good and the bad,[a] for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live;(D) after that they go to the dead.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:2 LXX, Aq, Syr, Vg; MT omits and the bad

God’s Sovereignty

In light of all of this, I committed myself to explain it this way: the righteous and the wise, along with everything they do, are in the hands of God. Furthermore, as to love and hate, no human being knows everything concerning them. Everyone shares the same experience: a single event affects the righteous, the wicked, the good, the clean, the unclean, whoever sacrifices, and whoever does not sacrifice.

As it is with the good person,
    so also it is with the sinner;
as it is with someone who takes an oath,
    so also it is with someone who fears taking an oath.

The Universality of Death

There is a tragedy that infects everything that happens on earth: a common event happens to everyone. In fact, the hearts of human beings are full of evil. Madness remains in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they join the dead.

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