Ecclesiastes 9-10

New American Standard Bible

People Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to my heart, even to ^[a]examine ^[b]it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are ^(A)in the hand of God. ^(B)People do not know whether it will be ^(C)love or hatred; anything ^[c]awaits them.

^2 (D)It is the same for all. There is ^(E)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who ^[d]is afraid to swear an oath. ³ This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is ^(F)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, ^(G)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and ^(H)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. ⁴ For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. ⁵ For the living know that they will die; but the dead ^(I)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their ^(J)memory is forgotten. ⁶ Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a ^(K)share in all that is done under the sun.

⁷ Go then, ^(L)eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. ⁸ See that your ^(M)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of ^(N)oil on your head. ^9 [e]Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your ^(O)futile life which He has given you under the sun, ^[f]all the days of your futility; for this is your ^(P)reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, ^(Q)do it with all your might; for there is no ^(R)activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in ^(S)Sheol where you are going.

¹¹ I again saw under the sun that the ^(T)race is not to the swift and the ^(U)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor ^(V)wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and ^(W)chance overtake them all. ¹² For indeed, a person does not ^(X)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and ^(Y)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are ^(Z)ensnared at an evil time when it ^(AA)suddenly falls on them.

¹³ This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and ^[g]it impressed me: ¹⁴ there ^(AB)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it a ^(AC)poor wise man, and he ^[h]saved the city ^(AD)by his wisdom. Yet ^(AE)no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ So I said, “^(AF)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are ^[i]ignored. ¹⁷ The ^(AG)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. ^18 (AH)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(AI)one sinner destroys much good.

A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies turn a ^(AJ)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more ^[j]potent than wisdom and honor. ² A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(AK)person’s heart directs him toward the left. ³ Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^[k]sense is lacking, and he ^[l](AL)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴ If the ruler’s ^[m]temper rises against you, ^(AM)do not abandon your place, because ^(AN)composure puts great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: ^6 (AO)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen ^(AP)slaves riding ^(AQ)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^8 (AR)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(AS)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. ⁹ One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. ¹⁰ If the ^[n]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its ^[o]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. ¹¹ If the serpent bites ^[p](AT)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. ^12 (AU)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a ^(AV)fool consume him; ¹³ the beginning of ^[q]his talking is foolishness, and the end of ^[r]it is evil ^(AW)insanity. ¹⁴ Yet the ^(AX)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(AY)what will come after him? ¹⁵ The labor of ^[s]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. ¹⁶ Woe to you, land whose ^(AZ)king is a boy, and whose princes ^[t]feast in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for ^(BA)drunkenness. ¹⁸ Through ^(BB)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. ¹⁹ People prepare a meal for enjoyment, ^(BC)wine makes life joyful, and ^(BD)money ^[u]is the answer to everything. ²⁰ Furthermore, ^(BE)in your bedroom do not ^(BF)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.