Ecclesiastes 9-12

Ecclesiastes 9

¹But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole is before them.

²The whole is as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as is the good, so is the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing an oath.

³This is an evil among all that hath been done under the sun, that one event is to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after it -- unto the dead.

⁴But to him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it is better than to the dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been forgotten.

⁶Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, hath already perished, and they have no more a portion to the age in all that hath been done under the sun.

⁷Go, eat with joy thy bread, and drink with a glad heart thy wine, for already hath God been pleased with thy works.

⁸At all times let thy garments be white, and let not perfume be lacking on thy head.

⁹See life with the wife whom thou hast loved, all the days of the life of thy vanity, that He hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for it is thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at under the sun.

¹⁰All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art going.

¹¹I have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift is the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skilful grace, for time and chance happen with them all.

¹²For even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these are the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.

¹³This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.

¹⁴A little city, and few men in it, and a great king hath come unto it, and hath surrounded it, and hath built against it great bulwarks;

¹⁵and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!

¹⁶And I said, ‘Better is wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' --

¹⁷The words of the wise in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.

¹⁸Better is wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!

Ecclesiastes 10

¹Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom -- By reason of honour -- a little folly!

²The heart of the wise is at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

³And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, ‘He is a fool.'

⁴If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

⁶He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.

⁷I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

⁸Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

⁹Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

¹⁰If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom is advantageous to make right.

¹¹If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

¹²Words of the mouth of the wise are gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, And the latter end of his mouth Is mischievous madness.

¹⁴And the fool multiplieth words: ‘Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

¹⁵The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

¹⁶Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

¹⁷Happy art thou, O land, When thy king is a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

¹⁹For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.

²⁰Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.

Ecclesiastes 11

¹Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it.

²Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.

³If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty themselves; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.

⁴Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.

⁵As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, How -- bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.

⁶In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike are good.

⁷Sweet also is the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming is vanity.

⁹Rejoice, O young man, in thy childhood, And let thy heart gladden thee in days of thy youth, And walk in the ways of thy heart, And in the sight of thine eyes, And know thou that for all these, Doth God bring thee into judgment.

¹⁰And turn aside anger from thy heart, And cause evil to pass from thy flesh, For the childhood and the age are vanity!

Ecclesiastes 12

¹Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, ‘I have no pleasure in them.'

²While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

³In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,

⁴And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And one riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

⁵Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

⁶While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

⁷And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

⁸Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole is vanity.

⁹And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out -- he made right many similes.

¹⁰The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written by the upright, words of truth.

¹¹Words of the wise are as goads, and as fences planted by the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

¹²And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³The end of the whole matter let us hear: -- ‘Fear God, and keep His commands, for this is the whole of man.

¹⁴For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'