Ecclesiastes 9

Legacy Standard Bible

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.