Ecclesiastes 9–12

1So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.

2It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow.

3This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

4There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.

6Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.

7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:

8Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.

9Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.

10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.

12For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.

13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me:

14There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

16And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

17The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

1As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.

3Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.

4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

5There is an evil I have seen under the sun— an error that proceeds from the ruler:

6Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.

7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

8He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.

10If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.

11If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.

12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

13The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.

14Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?

15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.

16Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.

17Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.

18Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.

19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.

20Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.

1Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

2Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.

3If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

4He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.

5As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.

7Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.

9Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

10So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.

1Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,”

2before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened, and the clouds return after the rain,

3on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,

4when the doors to the street are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint,

5when men fear the heights and dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels— for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets.

6Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well,

7before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”

9Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.

10The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.

11The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.

12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body.

13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.

14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.