Ecclesiastes 9:1–3

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Everyone Will Die

^9:1So I reflected on all this,¹ attempting to clear² it all up.

I concluded that³ the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated⁴—

no one knows what lies ahead.⁵

^9:2Everyone shares the same fate⁶—

the righteous and the wicked,

the good and the bad,⁷

the ceremonially clean and unclean,

those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;⁸

what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.

^9:3This is the unfortunate fact⁹ about everything that happens on earth:¹⁰

the same fate awaits¹¹ everyone.

In addition to this, the hearts of all people¹² are full of evil,

and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die.¹³

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Footnotes

1 Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”
2 The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction + Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” ( בור; 101 בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.
3 The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
4 Heb “whether love or hatred.”
5 Heb “man does not know anything before them.”
6 Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”
7 The reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man … the sinner,” and “those who make vows … those who are afraid to make vows”), the has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov vélattahor vélattame’, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex ( a.d. 1008)—the basis of the and publications of the —is also supported by the Ben Asher text of the First Rabbinic Bible (“the Soncino Bible”) published in a.d. 1488–94. On the other hand, the Greek version in B (Aquila) has two pairs: τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ, καὶ τῷ καθαρῷ καὶ τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ (“the good and the bad, and the clean and the unclean”). Either Aquila inserted καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to fill out a pair and to create six parallel pairs in v. 2, or Aquila reflects an early Hebrew textual tradition tradition of לַטּוֹב וְלַרָע (lattov vélara’, “the good and the bad”). Since Aquila is well known for his commitment to a literal—at times even a mechanically wooden—translation of the Hebrew, with no room for improvisation, it is more than likely that Aquila is reflecting an authentic Hebrew textual tradition. Aquila dates to a.d. 130, while the Leningrad Codex dates to a.d. 1008; therefore, the of Aquila might have been the original Hebrew textual tradition, being much earlier than the of the Leningrad Codex. The alternate textual tradition of Aquila is also seen in the and Latin versions (but these are dependent upon the Greek = Aquila). On the other hand, the editors of and suggest that the presence of the anomalous לַטּוֹב was an addition to the Hebrew text, and should be deleted. They also suggest that the Greek pair τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ (tō agathō kai tō kakō, “the good and the bad”) does not reflect an alternate textual tradition, but that their contained only לַטּוֹב: the Greek version intentionally added καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to create a pair. The English versions are divided. Several follow the Greek: “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean” (, , , , , , ). Others follow the Hebrew: “the good and the clean and the unclean” (, , , ). None, however, delete “the good” (לַטּוֹב) as suggested by the and editors. If the shorter text were original, the addition of καὶ τῷ κακῷ would be intentional. If the longer text were original, the omission of וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) could have caused by unintentional homoioarcton (“similar beginning”) in the three-fold repetition of לט in וְלַרָע וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא לַטּוֹב (lattov vélara’ vélattahor vélattame’, “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean”). The term וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) was accidentally omitted when a scribe skipped from the first occurrence of לט in לַטּוֹב to its second occurrence in the word וְלַטָּהוֹר (“the clean”).
8 Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”
9 Heb “evil.”
10 Heb “under the sun.”
11 The term “awaits” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
12 Heb “also the heart of the sons of man.” Here “heart” is a collective singular.
13 Heb “and after that [they go] to [the place of] the dead.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

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; both are before him. It 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. This 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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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. All 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.

This 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Indeed, 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. Everything 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 also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. This 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.

NLTNew Living Translation

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. The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t.

It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

So all this I laid to my heart, and I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in the hand of God. So no one knows anything that will come to them, whether it will be love or hatred. The same fate comes to everyone:

to the righteous and to the wicked,

to the good and to the wicked,

to the clean and to the unclean,

to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice.

As with the good man, so also to the sinner;

as with those who swear an oath, so also those who fear oaths.

This is the injustice that is done under the sun:

the same fate comes to everyone.

Also the hearts of humans are full of evil;

delusion is in their hearts during their lives, and then they die.

KJV 1900King James Version

For 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. All 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. This 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.

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