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Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which he gives you under the sun, because this is your lot in life and in the toil with which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do—do it with all your might; for in Sheol—where you are going—no one works, plans, knows, or thinks about anything.

The Injustice of Time and Chance

11 I looked again and saw under the sun that the race does not belong to the swift, the battle does not belong to the mighty, food does not belong to the wise, wealth does not belong to the intelligent, and success[a] does not belong to the skillful, for time and chance befalls all of them.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:11 Or “favor”

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)

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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.

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