| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. | 1For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. |
| 2All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. | 2All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. |
| 3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. | 3This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. |
| 4But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. | 4For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. |
| 5For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. | 5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. |
| 6Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun. | 6Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. |
| 7Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. | 7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. |
| 8Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. | 8Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. |
| 9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. | 9Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. |
| 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. | 10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. |
| 11I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. | 11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. |
| 12For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. | 12For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. |
| 13This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: | 13This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: |
| 14There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. | 14There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: |
| 15Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. | 15Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. |
| 16Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. | 16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. |
| 17Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. | 17The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. |
| 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.” | 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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