Ecclesiastes 9

A Common Fate

1#Dt 33:3; Ecc 8:14For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the deeds of the righteous and the wise are in the hand of God. No man knows whether love or hate awaits them; both are before him. 2#Job 9:22; Mal 3:5The same fate comes to all: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the evil,#Evil from Gk. is missing in some Heb. mss. for the clean and the unclean, for him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good,

so is the sinner;

he who takes an oath

as he who fears an oath.

3#Ecc 1:17; 8:11And this is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that the same event happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are filled with evil, and folly is in their hearts while they have life, and after that they go to the dead. 4But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5#Job 14:21; Isa 26:14 The living know that they will die,

but the dead know nothing;

they have no more reward,

for the memory of them is forgotten.

6What they loved, hated,

and envied has already perished;

and there is no reward for them from long ago

in everything that is done under the sun.

7#Ecc 8:15Go and eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a pleasant heart; for God is already pleased with your deeds. 8#Ps 23:5At all times may your clothing be white, and let not oil ever lack on your head. 9#Ecc 2:10; 6:12Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun; because that is your reward in life and in your toil because you have labored under the sun. 10#Ro 12:11; Col 3:23Whatever your hands find to do, do with your strength; for there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, the place where you are going.

11#Jer 9:23; Ecc 4:1Again I saw under the sun that—

the race is not to the swift,

nor the battle to the strong,

nor food to the wise,

nor riches to the intelligent,

nor favor to those with knowledge;

but time and chance happen to them all.

12#Pr 29:6; 1Th 5:3For man does not know his time:

Like fish caught in an unfortunate net,

like birds caught in a snare,

so the sons of men are ensnared at a tragic, yet appointed time,

when it suddenly falls on them.

The Excellence of Wisdom

13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14There was a small city with a few men in it; and a great king came and surrounded it, and he built up great siege works against it. 15#Ecc 4:13But a poor, wise man was found there, and he himself in his wisdom delivered the city, but no one remembered that poor man. 16#Ecc 7:19; Pr 21:22Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”

17The words of the wise heard in quietness are better

than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

18#Jos 7:1; 7:5 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but only one sinner can destroy much that is good.

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Ecclesiastes 9: MEV

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Ecclesiastes 9

A Common Destiny for All

1So 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. 2All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,#9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad. 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.

3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4Anyone who is among the living has hope#9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

5For the living know that they will die,

but the dead know nothing;

they have no further reward,

and even their name is forgotten.

6Their love, their hate

and their jealousy have long since vanished;

never again will they have a part

in anything that happens under the sun.

7Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9Enjoy life with your wife, 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 in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

11I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift

or the battle to the strong,

nor does food come to the wise

or wealth to the brilliant

or favor to the learned;

but time and chance happen to them all.

12Moreover, 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

that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Wisdom Better Than Folly

13I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14There 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. 15Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

17The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded

than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but one sinner destroys much good.

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