Beginning
Mankind Is in the Hand of God
9 For I have given all this to my heart and explain [a]it that righteous men, wise men, and their service are (A)in the hand of God. (B)Man does not know whether it will be (C)love or hatred; anything may be before him.
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 for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who [b]is afraid to swear. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is (F)one fate for all. Furthermore, (G)the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and (H)madness is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is confidence; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die; but the dead (I)do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for the (J)memory of them is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will never again have a (K)portion in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go then, (L)eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your (M)clothes be white all the time, and let not (N)oil be lacking on your head. 9 See life with the woman whom you love all the days of your (O)vain life, which He has given to you under the sun—all the days of your (P)vanity; for this is your (Q)portion in life and in your labor in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (R)do it with all your might; for there is no (S)working or explaining or knowledge or wisdom in (T)Sheol where you are going.
11 I again saw under the sun that the (U)race is not to the swift and the (V)battle is not to the mighty, and neither is bread to the wise nor (W)riches to the discerning nor favor to men who know; for time and (X)misfortune overtake them all. 12 Moreover, man does not (Y)know his time: like fish seized in an evil net and (Z)birds seized in a trap, so the sons of men are (AA)ensnared at an evil time when it (AB)suddenly falls on them.
13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and [c]it was great to me. 14 There (AC)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and built large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a (AD)poor wise man, and he provided a way of escape for the city (AE)by his wisdom. Yet (AF)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(AG)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The (AH)words of the wise heard in restfulness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (AI)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (AJ)one sinner destroys much good.
The Folly of a Simpleminded Fool
10 Dead flies make a (AK)perfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (AL)man’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the simpleminded fool walks along the road, his heart lacks wisdom, and he (AM)says to all that he is a simpleminded fool. 4 If the ruler’s [d]temper rises against you, (AN)do not abandon your position, because (AO)calmness causes great offenses to be abandoned.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake which goes forth from the one in power— 6 [e](AP)folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen (AQ)slaves riding (AR)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 (AS)He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a (AT)serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [f]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must [g]exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites [h](AU)before being charmed, there is no advantage for the charmer. 12 (AV)Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a (AW)fool swallow him up; 13 the beginning of the words of his mouth is simpleminded folly, and the end of what comes from his mouth is evil (AX)madness. 14 Yet the (AY)simpleminded fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him (AZ)what will come after him? 15 The labor of [i]a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, whose (BA)king is a young man and whose princes [j]eat in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for might and not for (BB)drinking. 18 Through (BC)indolence the beams sag, and through slack hands the house leaks. 19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and (BD)wine makes life glad, and (BE)money [k]is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, (BF)in your bedchamber do not (BG)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the sky will bring the sound and the winged creature will tell the matter.
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
11 (BH)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you (BI)will find it [l]after many days. 2 (BJ)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what (BK)calamity may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they empty the rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it [m]lies. 4 He who [n]watches the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not (BL)know [o]the path of the wind and (BM)how bones are formed in the womb of the [p]pregnant woman, so you do not (BN)know the work of God who works all things.
6 Sow your seed (BO)in the morning and do not put your hands down in the evening, for you do not know whether [q]morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
7 The light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to (BP)see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him (BQ)be glad in them all, and let him remember the (BR)days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be vanity.
9 Be glad, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be merry during the days of young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the (BS)sights of your eyes. Yet know that (BT)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove vexation from your heart and put away (BU)evil from your flesh because childhood and the prime of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
12 (BV)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the (BW)evil days happen and the years draw near in which you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the (BX)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and valiant men (BY)bend down, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and (BZ)those who look through [r]windows grow dark; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the (CA)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the (CB)daughters of song will [s]sing softly. 5 Furthermore, [t]men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blooms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal (CC)home, but the (CD)mourners go about in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver [u]cord is [v]snapped and the (CE)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is broken and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the (CF)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [w](CG)spirit will return to (CH)God who gave it. 8 “(CI)Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Fear God and Keep His Commandments
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and [x]arranged (CJ)many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find (CK)delightful words and (CL)words of truth written uprightly.
11 The (CM)words of wise men are like (CN)goads, and masters of these collections are like [y]well-driven (CO)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But in addition to this, my son, be warned: the making of (CP)many books is endless, and much (CQ)devotion to books is wearying to the flesh.
13 The end of the matter, all that has been heard: (CR)fear God and (CS)keep His commandments, because this is the end of the matter for (CT)all mankind. 14 For (CU)God will bring every work to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.