9:1 So I reflected on all this, 1 attempting to clear 2 it all up.
I concluded that 3 the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated 4 –
no one knows what lies ahead. 5
9:2 Everyone shares the same fate 6 –
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 fact 9 about everything that happens on earth: 10
the same fate awaits 11 everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all people 12 are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die. 13
9:4 But whoever is among 14 the living 15 has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears. 16
9:6 What they loved, 17 as well as what they hated 18 and envied, 19 perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. 20
9:7 Go, eat your food 21 with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
9:8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9:9 Enjoy 22 life with your beloved wife 23 during all the days of your fleeting 24 life
that God 25 has given you on earth 26 during all your fleeting days; 27
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work 28 on earth. 29
9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, 30
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, 31
the place where you will eventually go. 32
9:11 Again, 33 I observed this on the earth: 34
the race is not always 35 won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity 36 does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success 37 always come to those with the most knowledge –
for time and chance may overcome 38 them all.
9:12 Surely, no one 39 knows his appointed time! 40
Like fish that are caught in a deadly 41 net, and like birds that are caught in a snare –
just like them, all people 42 are ensnared 43 at an unfortunate 44 time that falls upon them suddenly.
9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, 45
and it is a great burden 46 to me:
9:14 There was once 47 a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging 48 it and building strong 49 siege works against it.
9:15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, 50
and he could have delivered 51 the city by his wisdom,
but no one listened 52 to that poor man.
9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, 53
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens 54 to his advice. 55