Ecclesiastes 9–10: The Same Fate, the Bread of Joy, and Folly's Flies

Scripture: Berean Standard Bible

So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.

It is the same for all: There is a common 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. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow.

This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.

Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:

Let your garments always be white,and never spare the oil for your head.

Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun. Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all. For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.

I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me: There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

The calm words of the wise are heededover the shouts of a ruler among fools.Wisdom is better than weapons of war,but one sinner destroys much good.As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil,so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.A wise man’s heart inclines to the right,but the heart of a fool to the left.Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking,and he shows everyone that he is a fool.If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post,for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:Folly is appointed to great heights,but the rich sit in lowly positions.I have seen slaves on horseback,while princes go on foot like slaves.

He who digs a pit may fall into it,and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.The one who quarries stones may be injured by them,and he who splits logs endangers himself.If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened,more strength must be exerted,but skill produces success.If the snake bites before it is charmed,there is no profit for the charmer.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,but the lips of a fool consume him.The beginning of his talk is folly,and the end of his speech is evil madness.Yet the fool multiplies words.No one knows what is coming,and who can tell him what will come after him?The toil of a fool wearies him,for he does not know the way to the city.

Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth,and whose princes feast in the morning.Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles,and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

Through laziness the roof caves in,and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.

A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry,but money is the answer for everything.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,or curse the rich even in your bedroom,for a bird of the air may carry your words,and a winged creature may report your speech.