Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be (A)my treasured possession among all peoples, for (B)all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a (C)kingdom of priests and (D)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

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Now if you obey me fully(A) and keep my covenant,(B) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.(C) Although the whole earth(D) is mine, you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests(E) and a holy nation.’(F) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 19:6 Or possession, for the whole earth is mine. You

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

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Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your (A)vain[a] life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your (B)portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (C)do it with your might,[b] (D)for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Wisdom Better Than Folly

11 (E)Again I saw that under the sun (F)the race is not to the swift, nor (G)the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and (H)chance (I)happen to them all. 12 For man (J)does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and (K)like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are (L)snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:9 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Or finds to do with your might, do it

Enjoy life with your wife,(A) 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(B) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(C) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(D) for in the realm of the dead,(E) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(F)

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,(G)
nor does food come to the wise(H)
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(I) happen to them all.(J)

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(K)
    that fall unexpectedly upon them.(L)

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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.

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