Ecclesiastes 9:1–12

Everything Is in the Hands of God

¹Now, I have carefully thought about all this, and I explain it in this way: Righteous people and wise people, along with their accomplishments, are in God’s hands. No one knows whether there will be love or hatred. ²Everything turns out the same way for everyone. All people will share the same destiny, whether they are righteous, wicked, or good, clean or unclean,^awhether they offer sacrifices or don’t offer sacrifices. Good people are treated like sinners. People who take oaths are treated like those who are afraid to take oaths. 

Where There’s Life, There’s Hope

³This is the tragedy of everything that happens under the sun: Everyone shares the same destiny. Moreover, the hearts of mortals are full of evil. Madness is in their hearts while they are still alive. After that, they join the dead. ⁴But all who are among the living have hope, because a living dog is better than a dead lion. ⁵The living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no more reward for the dead when the memory of them has faded. ⁶Their love, their hate, and their passions have already vanished. They will never again take part in anything that happens under the sun. 

Enjoy Life with Your Wife

⁷Go, enjoy eating your food, and drink your wine cheerfully, because God has already accepted what you’ve done. ⁸Always wear clean clothes, and never go without lotion on your head. ⁹Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, during all your brief, pointless life. God has given you your pointless life under the sun. This is your lot ⸤in life⸥ and what you get for the hard work that you do under the sun. 

Work with All Your Might

¹⁰Whatever presents itself for you to do, do it with ⸤all⸥ your might, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or skill in the grave where you’re going. 

Time and Unpredictable Events

¹¹I saw something else under the sun. The race isn’t ⸤won⸥ by fast runners, or the battle by heroes. Wise people don’t necessarily have food. Intelligent people don’t necessarily have riches, and skilled people don’t necessarily receive special treatment. But time and unpredictable events overtake all of them. ¹²No one knows when his time will come. Like fish that are caught in a cruel net or birds caught in a snare, humans are trapped by a disaster when it suddenly strikes them.