9 I thought about all these things so that I could understand them. I realized that God controls what happens to people. That includes righteous people and wise people. God decides the things that they do. Nobody knows what will happen in their lives. Other people may love them, or they may hate them.
2 But there is something which happens to everyone. It happens to righteous people and it happens to wicked people. It happens to good people and it happens to bad people. It happens to people who are clean in front of God and it happens to people who are unclean. It happens to people who offer sacrifices to God and it happens to people who do not do that. It happens to good people and to people who turn away from God. It happens to people who make promises to God. It also happens to people who are afraid to do that. 3 Finally, the same thing happens to everyone on the earth. That seems to be a terrible thing. People choose to do evil things. While they are alive, they choose to live like fools. And after that, they die.
4 Anyone who is alive in the world has some hope for good things in the future. It is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a lion that is dead. 5 People who are alive know that they will die one day. But dead people do not know anything. No more good things can happen to them. Nobody remembers them. 6 Everything that they did in the world has finished. If they loved people, if they hated people, if they were jealous of people, all that has finished. They no longer having anything to do with the things that happen on the earth.
7 So be happy as you eat your food. Be happy as you drink your wine. God is pleased with you as you do these things. 8 Always dress yourself well in good clothes. Use as much sweet oil as you need on your head. 9 Love your wife and enjoy your life together with her. God has given you your life. It is a short life and it is difficult to understand everything that happens. God wants you to enjoy these things as you do hard work during your life on the earth. 10 Use all your strength to do the work that you are doing. One day you will die and you will go into your grave. Then you will not have any work, or ideas, or knowledge or wisdom. So do your work well while you are alive.
11 I have seen another thing that happens here on the earth.
The runner who runs fastest does not always win the race.
The strongest soldiers do not always win the battle.
Very wise people do not always have food to eat.
Very clever people do not always become rich.
People who have learned many things are not always successful.
Yes, anything may happen to anyone at any time.
12 Nobody knows the time when trouble may come to them.
A fish does not know when somebody will catch it in a net.
A bird does not know when somebody will catch it in a trap.
In the same way, terrible trouble suddenly happens to people when they do not expect it.
13 I saw something else that happens on the earth. It is a good example of what wisdom is like. 14 There was a small city and only a few people lived in it. A powerful king came to attack that city. His army made their camp around the city. They built heaps of earth all around it. 15 There was a man who lived in the city. He was poor but he was also wise. Because he was wise, he knew how to save the city. But after he saved it, nobody remembered that poor man.
16 So I realized that wisdom is better than power. But if you are poor, nobody accepts that you are also wise. People soon forget what you said.
17 A wise person speaks quietly.
But it is good to listen carefully to him.
His words have more value than a king
who is shouting to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons that are used to fight a war.
But one bad person can destroy many good things.
9 I thought about all this very carefully. I saw that God controls what happens to the good and wise people and what they do. People don’t know if they will be loved or hated, and they don’t know what will happen in the future.
2 But, there is one thing that happens to everyone—we all die! Death comes to good people and bad people. Death comes to those who are pure and to those who are not pure. Death comes to those who give sacrifices and to those who don’t give sacrifices. Good people will die just as sinners do. Those who make promises to God will die just as those who are afraid to make those promises.
3 Of all the things that happen in this life, the worst thing is that all people end life the same way. But it is also very bad that people always think evil and foolish thoughts. And those thoughts lead to death. 4 There is hope for those who are still alive—it does not matter who they are. But this saying is true:
A living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 The living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. They have no more reward. People will soon forget them. 6 After people are dead, their love, hate, and jealousy are all gone. And they will never again share in what happens on earth.
7 So go and eat your food now and enjoy it. Drink your wine and be happy. It is all right with God if you do these things. 8 Wear nice clothes and make yourself look good. 9 Enjoy life with the wife you love. Enjoy every day of your short life. God has given you this short life on earth—and it is all you have. So enjoy the work you have to do in this life. 10 Every time you find work to do, do it the best you can. In the grave there is no work. There is no thinking, no knowledge, and there is no wisdom. And we are all going to the place of death.
11 I also saw other things in this life that were not fair. The fastest runner does not always win the race; the strongest soldier does not always win the battle; wise people don’t always get the food; smart people don’t always get the wealth; educated people don’t always get the praise they deserve. When the time comes, bad things can happen to anyone!
12 You never know when hard times will come. Like fish in a net or birds in a snare, people are often trapped by some disaster that suddenly falls on them.
13 I also saw a person doing a wise thing in this life, and it seemed very important to me. 14 There was a small town with a few people in it. A great king fought against that town and put his armies all around it. 15 But there was a wise man in that town. He was poor, but he used his wisdom to save his town. After everything was finished, the people forgot about the poor man. 16 But I still say that wisdom is better than strength. They forgot about the poor man’s wisdom, and the people stopped listening to what he said. But I still believe that wisdom is better.
17 Words spoken by the wise are heard more clearly
than those shouted by a leader among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one fool [ a ] can destroy much good.
9 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
9 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.
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
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.
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.
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 )
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.
