Ecc 9 | NASB1995 | STEP | For 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.

Ecclesiastes 9

Men Are in the Hand of God

1 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain ^{▼▼ Lit all this}it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are ^bin the hand of God. ^cMan does not know whether it will be ^dlove or hatred; anything ^{▼▼ Lit is before them}awaits him.

2 ^fIt is the same for all. There is ^gone 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 ^{▼▼ Lit fears an oath}is afraid to swear. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is ⁱone fate for all men. Furthermore, ^jthe hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and ^kinsanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die; but the dead ^ldo not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their ^mmemory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a ⁿshare in all that is done under the sun.

7 Go then, ^oeat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. 8 Let your ^pclothes be white all the time, and let not ^qoil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your ^{▼▼ Lit life of vanity
,} ^sfleeting life which He has given to you under the sun ^{▼▼ Heb adds all the days of your vanity}; for this is your ^ureward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, ^vdo it with all your might; for there is no ^wactivity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in ^xSheol where you are going.

11 I again saw under the sun that the ^yrace is not to the swift and the ^zbattle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor ^aawealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and ^abchance overtake them all. 12 Moreover, man does not ^acknow his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and ^adbirds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ^aeensnared at an evil time when it ^afsuddenly falls on them.

13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and ^{▼▼ Lit great it was to me}it impressed me. 14 There ^ahwas a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a ^aipoor wise man and he ^{▼▼ Or might have delivered}delivered the city ^akby his wisdom. Yet ^alno one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, ^am“Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. 17 The ^anwords of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 ^aoWisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^apone sinner destroys much good.