Ecclesiastes 8:16–12:7

16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the ibusiness that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that ka man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, lyet shall he not be able to find it.

9 For all this †I considered in my heart even to adeclare all this, bthat the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: cno man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. 2 dAll things come alike to all: there is eone 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 fhe that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is eone event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and gmadness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die: but hthe dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for ithe memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is know perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

7 Go thy way, leat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; mfor God know accepteth thy works. 8 Let nthy garments be always white; and olet thy head lack no ointment. 9 †Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, pwhich he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: qfor that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever rthy hand findeth to do, sdo it with thy might; for there is no work, nor tdevice, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

11 I ureturned, and saw under the sun, that xthe race is not to the swift, nor ythe battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet zfavour to men of skill; but time and achance bhappeneth to them all. 12 For cman also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil dnet, and as ethe birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men fsnared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and gbesieged it, and built great hbulwarks against it: 15 Now there was found in it a ipoor wise man, and he kby his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same ipoor man. 16 Then said I, lWisdom is better than strength: nevertheless mthe ipoor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of wise men are heard in nquiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 lWisdom is better than weapons of war: but oone sinner destroyeth much good.

10 †Dead flies cause the ointment of the aapothecary to bsend forth a stinking savour: so doth a little cfolly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. 3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, †his wisdom faileth him, and dhe saith to every one that he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, eleave not thy place; for fyielding gpacifieth great offences.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an herror which proceedeth †from the iruler: 6 kFolly is set †in great dignity, and the rich sit in llow place. 7 mI have seen servants nupon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

8 oHe that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso pbreaketh an hedge, qa serpent shall bite him. 9 Whoso rremoveth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that scleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

10 If the iron tbe blunt, and he do not uwhet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is xprofitable to ydirect.

11 Surely the serpent will bite without zenchantment; and †a babbler is no xbetter. 12 aThe words of a wise man’s mouth are †gracious; but bthe lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is cfoolishness: and the end of †his talk is mischievous dmadness. 14 eA fool also †is full of words: fa man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, gwho can tell him? 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16 hWoe to thee, O land, when ithy king is ja child, and thy princes keat in the morning! 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes leat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 By much slothfulness the building mdecayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house ndroppeth through.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and owine †maketh merry: but pmoney answereth all things.

20 qCurse not the king, no not in thy ||thought; and curse not the rich rin thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and sthat which hath wings shall tell the matter.

11 Cast thy bread a†upon the waters: bfor thou shalt find it after many days. 2 cGive a portion to dseven, and also to eight; efor thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the fsouth, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. 4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and ghe that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the hspirit, nor ihow the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening kwithhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether †shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be lalike good.

7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to mbehold the sun: 8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember nthe days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

9 oRejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy pyouth, and qwalk in the ways of thine heart, and in rthe sight of thine eyes: sbut know thou, that for all these things tGod will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove ||sorrow from thy heart, and uput away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

12 Remember now thy Creator ain the days of thy byouth, swhile cthe evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when dthou shalt say, I have no epleasure in them; 2 sWhile the sun, or fthe light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall gtremble, and the hstrong men shall bow themselves, and ||the grinders cease because they are few, and ithose that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And jthe doors shall be shut in the kstreets, when lthe sound of the grinding mis low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all dthe daughters of musick shall be mbrought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall nflourish, and the ograsshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his plong qhome, and rthe mourners go about the kstreets: 6 sOr ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden tbowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall uthe dust return to the earth as it was: and xthe spirit shall return unto God ywho gave it.