| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated--no one knows what lies ahead. | 1So 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. |
| 2Everyone shares the same fate--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, 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; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows. | 2It 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. |
| 3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives--then they die. | 3This 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. |
| 4But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion. | 4There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion. |
| 5For 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. | 5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten. |
| 6What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. | 6Their 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. |
| 7Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works. | 7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works: |
| 8Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your head. | 8Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head. |
| 9Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth. | 9Enjoy 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. |
| 10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go. | 10Whatever 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. |
| 11Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity 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 always come to those with the most knowledge--for time and chance may overcome them all. | 11I 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. |
| 12Surely, no one knows his appointed time! Like fish that are caught in a deadly net, and like birds that are caught in a snare--just like them, all people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly. | 12For 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. |
| 13This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me: | 13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me: |
| 14There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it. | 14There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it. |
| 15However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, and he could have delivered the city by his wisdom, but no one listened to that poor man. | 15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. |
| 16So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, but a poor man's wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice. | 16And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.” |
| 17The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools. | 17The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools. |
| 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good. | 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. |
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