ECCLESIASTES
OR
THE PREACHER
Ecclesiastes 9 ©
The Preacher relates certain things which happen both to the godly and to the wicked, v. 1, etc. Therefore he concludes that it is best for a man to enjoy the gifts of God with cheerfulness, 7. And to be diligent in his calling, 10. And to leave the issue to God, 11. Next he teaches that man knows not the time of his death or misery, 12. Lastly, he extols wisdom in the highest degree, 13.
FOR all this I 1considered in my heart even 2to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are 3in the hand of God: no man 4knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before 5them.
6All things come 7alike to 8all: there is 9onea event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; 10to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he 11that sweareth, as he 12that feareth an oath.
13This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is 14one event unto 15all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is 16in their heart while they live, and 17after that they go to the dead.18
¶ 19For 20to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog 21is better than a dead lion.
For 22the living know that they shall die: but the dead 23know not any thing, neither 24have they any more a reward; for the memory of them 25is forgotten.
26Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion 27for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
¶ 28Go thy way, 29eat thy bread with joy, and 30drink thy wine 31with a merry heart; for 32God now accepteth thy works.
33Let thy garments be 34always 35white; and let thy head lack no 36ointment.
37Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the 38life of thy vanity, 39which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: 40for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
41Whatsoever 42thy hand findeth to do, 43do it with thy might; for 44there is no work, nor 45device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
¶I returned, and saw under the sun, that 46the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet 47bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet 48favour to men of skill; but 49time and chance happeneth to them all.
For man also knoweth not 50his time: as the fishes that are taken in 51an 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.
¶This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great 52unto me:
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:
Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; 53yet no man remembered that same poor man.
Then said I, Wisdombis better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are 54not heard.
The words of wise men are heard 55in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
Wisdom is better 56than weapons of war: but one 57sinner destroyeth much good.