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Ecclesiastes 9
Legacy Standard Bible
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.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit all this
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Lit fears an oath
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit great it was to me
Ecclesiastes 9
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9
New International Version
A Common Destiny for All
9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(A) 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good,
so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.(B)
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(C) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(D) and afterward they join the dead.(E) 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;(F)
they have no further reward,
and even their name(G) is forgotten.(H)
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.(I)
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(J) with a joyful heart,(K) for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white,(L) and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife,(M) 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(N) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(O) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(P) for in the realm of the dead,(Q) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(R)
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(S)
nor does food come to the wise(T)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(U) happen to them all.(V)
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(W)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(X)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(Y) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(Z) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(AA)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(AB) is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
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