Everyone Will Die

9:1 So 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

9:2 Everyone 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.

9:3 This 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