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.