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Men Are in the Hand of God
For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
Death Comes to All
This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor.
This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor.
It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear.
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.
For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.
There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”
For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.
Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.
Whatever they did in their lifetime — loving, hating, envying — is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.
Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.
So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!
Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.
Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!
Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.
I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.
Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.
People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.
Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.
Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly
Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works.
There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it.
There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it.
But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him.
So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded.
So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.
The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person
than the shouts of a foolish king.
than the shouts of a foolish king.