Ecclesiastes, 9

1. 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.

1. I have pondered on all this and now I understand that the just, the wise and all they do are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether hate or love is in store for him.

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.

2. What is most senseless is that the same destiny awaits all, the virtuous and the wicked, the clean and the unclean, the one who sacrifices and the one who doesn't. It is then the same for the good man and the sinner, for the one who swears and the one who refrains from swearing.

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.

3. The same fate comes to all: this is the evil which corrupts all that is done under the sun. This is why man's heart is full of evil and foolishness during his life and his end is with 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.

4. As long as he shares with the living there is hope, a live dog being 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.

5. The living at least know they will die but the dead know nothing; neither do they await anything; the memory of them has vanished.

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.

6. Their love, hate and jealousy have already perished and they no longer have a share in all 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.

7. Go, eat your bread with gladness and drink your wine joyfully; this is God's approval of your work.

8. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

8. Dress in white and perfume your head.

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.

9. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of the meaningless life given you by God under the sun, for this is your lot in life and in the work you do 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.

10. Fulfill your projects while you are able, for among the dead where you are going there is no work, no planning, no knowledge, no wisdom.

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.

11. I saw something else under the sun: the race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the strong, nor does bread go to the wise nor riches to the intelligent; favor is not for the learned, for fortune and misfortune overtake 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.

12. For man is not aware of his time: just as fish are caught in the treacherous net and sparrows trapped in the snare, man, like them, is caught by misfortune suddenly befalling him.

13. This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it [seemed] great unto me:

13. I have considered something else very grave under the sun.

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:

14. There was a small town with few inhabitants. A king set out to attack it, laid siege to it and built great siege-works around 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.

15. But a poverty-stricken wise man was found, who by his wisdom saved the town. No one, however, remembered the 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.

16. So I said, "Better wisdom than heroism," but the wisdom of the poor is despised and his words are not heeded.

17. The words of wise [men are] heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

17. The words of the wise spoken calmly are heard above the shouts of a ruler of fools.

18. Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

18. Wisdom is better than weapons; one sinner spoils much happiness.