Ecclesiastes 9 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

People Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to my heart, even to [a]examine [b]it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are (A)in the hand of God. (B)People do not know whether it will be (C)love or hatred; anything [c]awaits them.

2 (D)It is the same for all. There is (E)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who [d]is afraid to swear an oath. 3 This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is (F)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, (G)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and (H)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. 4 For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die; but the dead (I)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their (J)memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a (K)share in all that is done under the sun.

7 Go then, (L)eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. 8 See that your (M)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of (N)oil on your head. 9 [e]Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your (O)futile life which He has given you under the sun, [f]all the days of your futility; for this is your (P)reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, (Q)do it with all your might; for there is no (R)activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in (S)Sheol where you are going.

11 I again saw under the sun that the (T)race is not to the swift and the (U)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor (V)wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and (W)chance overtake them all. 12 For indeed, a person does not (X)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and (Y)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are (Z)ensnared at an evil time when it (AA)suddenly falls on them.

13 This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and [g]it impressed me: 14 there (AB)was 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 (AC)poor wise man, and he [h]saved the city (AD)by his wisdom. Yet (AE)no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “(AF)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are [i]ignored. 17 The (AG)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (AH)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (AI)one sinner destroys much good.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Or explain
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit all this
  3. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit is before them
  4. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Lit fears an oath
  5. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit See
  6. Ecclesiastes 9:9 all...your futility not found in some ancient versions
  7. Ecclesiastes 9:13 Lit it was great to me
  8. Ecclesiastes 9:15 Or might have saved
  9. Ecclesiastes 9:16 Lit not listened to

Cross references

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:1 : Deut 33:3; Job 12:10; Ps 119:109
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:1 : Eccl 10:14
  3. Ecclesiastes 9:1 : Eccl 9:6
  4. Ecclesiastes 9:2 : Job 9:22; Eccl 9:11
  5. Ecclesiastes 9:2 : Eccl 2:14; 3:19; 6:6; 7:2
  6. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : Eccl 9:2; Jer 17:10
  7. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : Eccl 8:11
  8. Ecclesiastes 9:3 : Eccl 1:17
  9. Ecclesiastes 9:5 : Job 14:21
  10. Ecclesiastes 9:5 : Ps 88:12; Eccl 1:11; 2:16; 8:10; Is 26:14
  11. Ecclesiastes 9:6 : Eccl 2:10; 3:22
  12. Ecclesiastes 9:7 : Eccl 2:24; 8:15
  13. Ecclesiastes 9:8 : Rev 3:4
  14. Ecclesiastes 9:8 : Ps 23:5
  15. Ecclesiastes 9:9 : Eccl 6:12; 7:15
  16. Ecclesiastes 9:9 : Eccl 2:10
  17. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : Eccl 11:6; Rom 12:11; Col 3:23
  18. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : Eccl 9:5
  19. Ecclesiastes 9:10 : Gen 37:35; Job 21:13; Is 38:10
  20. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Amos 2:14, 15
  21. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : 2 Chr 20:15; Ps 76:5; Zech 4:6
  22. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : Deut 8:17, 18
  23. Ecclesiastes 9:11 : 1 Sam 6:9
  24. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : Eccl 8:7
  25. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : Prov 7:23
  26. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : Prov 29:6; Is 24:18; Hos 9:8
  27. Ecclesiastes 9:12 : Luke 21:34, 35
  28. Ecclesiastes 9:14 : 2 Sam 20:16-22
  29. Ecclesiastes 9:15 : Eccl 4:13
  30. Ecclesiastes 9:15 : 2 Sam 20:22
  31. Ecclesiastes 9:15 : Eccl 2:16; 8:10
  32. Ecclesiastes 9:16 : Prov 21:22; Eccl 7:12, 19
  33. Ecclesiastes 9:17 : Eccl 7:5; 10:12
  34. Ecclesiastes 9:18 : Eccl 9:16
  35. Ecclesiastes 9:18 : Josh 7:1-26; 2 Kin 21:2-17

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9 But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole [is] before them. 2 The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wic...
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9 I treated all these things in mine heart, to understand diligently. Just men, and wise men there be, and their works be in the hand of God; and nevertheless a man knoweth not, whether he is worthy of love or of hate. (I treated, or considered, all these things in my mind, to diligently understand ...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - World English Bible (WEB)

9 For 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 is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them. 2 All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to th...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - The Voice (VOICE)

9 Teacher: So I set my mind on all of this, examined it thoroughly, and here’s what I think: The righteous and the wise and all their deeds are in God’s hands. Whether they are destined to be loved or hated, no one but God knows. 2 Everyone shares a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the ...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

One Destiny for All9 For all this I laid on my heart and to ascertain all this: that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works are in the hand of God. Whether love or hatred, no one knows—everything awaits them. 2 Everyone shares the same destiny: for the righteous and the wicked; for the g...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Take Life as It Comes9 But 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. Everything before them is vanity,[a] 2 since one fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the goo...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Take Life as It Comes9 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 one does not know. Everything that confronts them 2 is vanity,[a] since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, t...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Take Life as It Comes9 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 one does not know. Everything that confronts them 2 is vanity,[a] since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Death Comes to All9 This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. 2 The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad,[a] ceremonially clean or unclean, religiou...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New Life Version (NLV)

9 For I have thought of all this, how good and wise men and their works are in the hand of God. Man does not know if love or hate is waiting for them. 2 It is the same for all. The same thing will happen to both the man who is good and the man who is sinful. The same thing will happen to the clean a...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Death Comes to All9 For I [a]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: (A)that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 2 (B)All things come alike to all:One event happens to the r...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

A common destiny for all9 So 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. 2 All share a common destiny – the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean,...
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Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Version (NIV)

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Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

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