Ecclesiastes 9
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Death Comes to Good and Bad

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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.1But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.1For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.1For 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.1Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: the righteous, the wise, and their works are in God's hands.People don't know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them.
2All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good 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.2It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.2It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear.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.2Everything is the same for everyone: there is one 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 sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath.
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.3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.3This 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.3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live--after that they go to the dead.
4Anyone who is among the living has hope --even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!4But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.4For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.4For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.4But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion.
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5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten.5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.5For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.5For 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.5For the living know that they will die, but the dead don't know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them 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.6Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.6Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.6Also 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.6Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.

Enjoy Your Portion in This Life

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7Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.7Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.7Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.
8Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.8Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.8Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.8Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.8Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head.
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.9Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.9Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.9Live 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.9Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle 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.10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.10Whatsoever 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.10Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
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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.11Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.11I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.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 favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.11Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them.
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.12For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.12Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.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; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.12For man certainly does not know his time: like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap, so people are trapped in an evil time as it suddenly falls on them.

Wisdom Better than Strength

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13I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:13I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.13Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.13This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:13I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to 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.14There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it.14There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it.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 few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large 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.15But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man.15But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.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.15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one 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.16But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.16So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded.16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.16And I said, "Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded."
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17The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.17The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.17The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.17The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.17The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.
18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.18Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.



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Ecclesiastes 8
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