| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1For 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. | 1This, 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. |
| 2It 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. | 2The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t. |
| 3This 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. | 3It 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. |
| 4For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. | 4There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” |
| 5For 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. | 5The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. |
| 6Indeed 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. | 6Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. |
| 7Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. | 7So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! |
| 8Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. | 8Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! |
| 9Enjoy 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. | 9Live 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. |
| 10Whatever 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. | 10Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. |
| 11I 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. | 11I 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. |
| 12Moreover, 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. | 12People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly |
| 13Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. | 13Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. |
| 14There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. | 14There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. |
| 15But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. | 15A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. |
| 16So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. | 16So 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. |
| 17The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. | 17Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king. |
| 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. | 18Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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