Ecclesiastes 9

1For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

1I thought deeply about all of this and concluded that the righteous and the wise, along with everything they do, are in God's hands. No one knows whether love or hate awaits them in the future.

2All 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.

2Everyone shares the same fate: the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, those who are ceremonially clean and those who are unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. It is the same for a good person as it is for a sinner, and for those who make vows as for those who are afraid to make them.

3This is an evil in all that is 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.

3This is the tragedy of everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. Furthermore, people's hearts are full of evil and madness while they live, and eventually, they join the dead.

4For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

4But there is hope for anyone who is still among the living—even a living dog is better off than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

5The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing at all. They have no further reward, and even the memory of them fades away.

6As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

6Their love, their hate, and their jealousy have all disappeared. They will never again have a share in anything that happens here on earth.

7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.

7So go ahead—eat your food with joy and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved of what you are doing.

8Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil.

8Always wear clean clothes and keep your hair groomed with oil.

9Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun.

9Enjoy life with the wife you love during all the meaningless days of the life God has given you on this earth. This is your reward in life and for all the hard work you do under the sun.

10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

10Whatever work you find to do, do it with all your might. There is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

11I 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 favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

11I looked at something else on earth: the fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest doesn't always win the battle. Wise people don't always have food, intelligent people aren't always wealthy, and educated people don't always find success. Instead, time and chance happen to everyone.

12For 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, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

12No one knows when their time will come. Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, people are caught by a sudden tragedy that falls on them unexpectedly.

13I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me:

13I also saw this example of wisdom on earth, and it made a great impression on me:

14There 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.

14There was a small city with only a few people in it. A powerful king came to attack it, surrounding it and building massive siege works against it.

15Now 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.

15A poor but wise man lived there, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But afterward, no one remembered that poor man.

16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

16So I said, 'Wisdom is better than strength.' However, a poor man's wisdom is usually ignored, and his words are not taken seriously.

17The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

17The quiet words of the wise are better than the shouting of a king who rules over fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.

18Wisdom is more powerful than weapons of war, but one person who does wrong can destroy much good.