The Common Destiny of All and the Call to Enjoy Life
Ecclesiastes 9:1-12
Ecc.9.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אל: NEG
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ולבור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הצדיקים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והחכמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ועבדיהם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,pl
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- גם: ADV
- אהבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- גם: ADV
- שנאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- לפניהם: PREP,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 (verbal): Same book and similar language: stresses that humans do not know the time or the outcome of events and cannot discern God’s timing or judgments (echoes ‘man knows not’).
- Proverbs 21:1 (verbal): Uses the image of the heart/ways being ‘in the hand of the LORD,’ paralleling Eccl. 9:1’s claim that the righteous, wise, and their works are ‘in the hand of God.’
- Psalm 31:15 (thematic): ‘My times are in your hand’ expresses the same theological theme of God’s sovereign control over human life and circumstances found in Eccl. 9:1.
- Daniel 2:21 (thematic): Affirms God’s rule over human authorities and events—he removes and sets up rulers—resonating with the idea that human affairs are ultimately in God’s hand.
- Romans 11:33 (thematic): Paul’s doxology on the inscrutability of God’s judgments and ways parallels Ecclesiastes’ emphasis on human inability to understand God’s purposes (the ‘man knows not’ motif).
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I put all this into my heart and sought to understand it—why the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether He loves them or hates them, man knows nothing; all is before Him.
- For I put all this into my heart and sought to know all of it: that the righteous, the wise, and their works are in the hand of God; and whether they love or hate—no one knows anything beforehand.
Ecc.9.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- לכל: PREP
- מקרה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- לצדיק: PREP
- ולרשע: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לטוב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולטהור: CONJ+PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- ולטמא: CONJ+PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- ולזבח: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- ולאשר: CONJ+PREP+PRON,rel
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- זבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כטוב: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- כחטא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנשבע: VERB,nipf,ptcp,3,m,sg,def
- כאשר: CONJ
- שבועה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 (verbal): Directly parallels the idea that humans and animals share one fate (death); reiterates that righteous and wicked alike face the same end.
- Job 21:7-13 (thematic): Job questions why the wicked often prosper and die in peace, echoing the observation that prosperity or suffering does not consistently mark the righteous or wicked.
- Psalm 49:10-20 (thematic): Affirms the common destiny of rich and poor and the futility of trusting in wealth—no one redeems his brother from death—resonating with Ecclesiastes' theme of a shared lot.
- Matthew 5:45 (allusion): Jesus notes that God causes sun and rain to fall on both evil and good, reflecting the biblical motif that blessings and fortunes are distributed to righteous and wicked alike.
Alternative generated candidates
- All things come alike to all: there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not; the good is as the sinner, and the one who swears is as the one who fears to swear.
- All come alike to all: there is one occurrence for the righteous and for the wicked, for the clean and for the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and for the one who does not; as is the good, so is the sinner; the one who swears is like the one who fears an oath.
Ecc.9.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- מקרה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
- וגם: CONJ
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- והוללות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בלבבם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp-suf
- בחייהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואחריו: CONJ+PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- המתים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Genesis 6:5 (verbal): Both describe the moral condition of human hearts: Genesis states that 'every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,' paralleling Ecclesiastes' 'hearts full of evil and madness.'
- Psalm 14:1-3 (thematic): Presents the universal corruption of humanity ('there is none who does good'), echoing Ecclesiastes' verdict that human hearts are full of evil and folly.
- Jeremiah 17:9 (verbal): Speaks of the inner moral corruption of the heart—'the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick'—similar in theme and tone to 'full of evil and madness.'
- Romans 3:10-18 (thematic): Paul's catalogue of universal sinfulness ('None is righteous...') parallels Ecclesiastes' observation of pervasive human wickedness and folly as a general condition.
- Hebrews 9:27 (thematic): Affirms the common human fate—'it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment'—corresponding to Ecclesiastes' stress on the one event shared by all and that afterward they go to the dead.
Alternative generated candidates
- This is an evil in all that is done under the sun—that there is one event for all. Moreover the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and madness during their life, and afterward they go to the dead.
- This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that there is one fate for all. Moreover the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and madness is in their hearts while they live, and afterward they go to the dead.
Ecc.9.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יחבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- החיים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בטחון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לכלב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- מן: PREP
- האריה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- המת: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 9:5 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel—continues the same teaching that the dead know nothing, reinforcing the contrast between the living (who have hope) and the dead.
- Psalm 115:17 (thematic): States that the dead do not praise the LORD, echoing the idea that the living have advantage/ability (and thus hope) that the dead lack.
- Isaiah 38:19 (verbal): Affirms that 'the living, the living' praise God, paralleling Ecclesiastes' emphasis on the value and hope belonging to those joined to the living.
- Job 14:7-10 (thematic): Uses the image of renewal and contrasts life and death—explores hope and the finality of death in ways that resonate with Ecclesiastes' valuation of the living over the dead.
Alternative generated candidates
- For whoever is joined with all the living has hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
- For whoever is joined with all the living has hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Ecc.9.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- החיים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- יודעים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שימתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והמתים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אינם: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- יודעים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מאומה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- עוד: ADV
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נשכח: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- זכרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,pl
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 (structural): Same book and continuing theme: humans and beasts share the same fate—both go to the same place and lose consciousness, emphasizing death’s finality.
- Psalm 146:4 (verbal): Speaks of a person’s breath departing and his thoughts perishing the same day, echoing the idea that the dead no longer know or think.
- Psalm 115:17 (thematic): Declares that the dead do not praise the LORD and those who go down to silence cannot speak—parallel to the dead ‘knowing nothing.’
- Job 14:10-12 (thematic): Describes human death as a final cessation—one dies and does not return—resonating with Ecclesiastes’ picture of the dead’s lack of knowledge or recompense.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no more reward, and their memory is forgotten.
- For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no more reward, and their memory is forgotten.
Ecc.9.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- אהבתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,mp
- גם: ADV
- שנאתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- גם: ADV
- קנאתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,mp
- כבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחלק: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- עוד: ADV
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Job 14:10-12 (verbal): Describes death as cutting off the person—'man dies and is laid low... they shall not awake'—paralleling the idea that love, hatred, and envy perish with the dead.
- Psalm 146:4 (thematic): 'When his breath departs he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish'—similarly portrays death as ending personal thought and feeling.
- Psalm 115:17 (thematic): 'The dead do not praise the LORD, nor those who go down into silence'—emphasizes that the dead no longer participate in living affairs, echoing 'they have no portion'.
- Luke 16:26 (allusion): In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus an impassable gulf prevents sharing between the dead and the living—analogous to having 'no part any more' in things done under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 9:5 (structural): Immediate parallel within the chapter: 'the dead know not anything'—directly supports 9:6's claim that the dead's affections and shares in life have ceased.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their love, their hatred, and their envy have already perished; they have no more share forever in all that is done under the sun.
- Also their love, and their hate, and their envy have perished; they have no more a portion forever in all that is done under the sun.
Ecc.9.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בשמחה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לחמך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,2,m,sg
- ושתה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בלב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- יינך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,f
- כי: CONJ
- כבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רצה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- מעשיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2,ms
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 8:15 (verbal): Same Qoheleth theme and near-verbatim counsel: commendation of enjoyment—'eat, drink and be merry'—as an appropriate response to life's limits and God's providence.
- Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (thematic): Affirms the basic wisdom motif that the best outcome for a person is to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in his work, and that such enjoyment is a gift from God.
- Ecclesiastes 3:13 (verbal): Parallel language and theology: eating, drinking, and taking pleasure in one's toil are explicitly described as God's gift to humans, echoing the approval/ordaining of enjoyment in 9:7.
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Mentions God providing food and 'wine that gladdens the heart,' connecting divine provision with joyful eating and drinking like Ecclesiastes 9:7.
- 1 Timothy 4:4-5 (allusion): Teaches that created things are good and are received with thanksgiving and prayer—resonating with the idea that enjoying food and drink is right because God has approved/ordained the good of human works and provisions.
Alternative generated candidates
- Go then, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already taken pleasure in your works.
- Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already accepted your works.
Ecc.9.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בגדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- לבנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושמן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ראשך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- אל: NEG
- יחסר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 61:10 (verbal): Uses the paired imagery of being clothed in festive/ righteous garments and being anointed with the oil of gladness—closely parallels garments + anointing language.
- Psalm 23:5 (verbal): Contains the explicit phrase 'you anoint my head with oil,' matching the motif of oil on the head as a sign of blessing and abundance.
- Psalm 45:7-8 (thematic): Royal/nuptial language of anointing ('anointed you with the oil of gladness') and richly adorned robes echoes Ecclesiastes' pairing of white garments and head oil.
- Matthew 6:17 (thematic): Jesus' instruction 'when you fast, anoint your head' reflects the cultural practice and symbolic meaning of anointing the head (dignity, joy) underlying Ecclesiastes' exhortation.
- Revelation 7:13-14 (thematic): Visionary reference to the redeemed wearing white robes echoes the motif of white garments as status/celebration and purity present in Ecclesiastes 9:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let your garments be always white, and let not oil be lacking on your head.
- Let your garments always be white, and let oil be upon your head; let not your head lack.
Ecc.9.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- חיים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- עם: PREP
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אהבת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- חיי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- הבלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כל: DET
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- הבלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- כי: CONJ
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- חלקך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
- בחיים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובעמלך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (verbal): Uses nearly identical teaching that nothing is better than to eat, drink and find enjoyment in one’s toil — the idea of enjoyment/portion in life under the sun parallels ‘see life with the wife you love… for that is your portion.’
- Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (thematic): Speaks of a man’s God‑given portion: enjoyment of the fruits of his labor as a gift to be enjoyed — echoes the notion of a spouse as one’s portion and the legitimacy of taking pleasure in life.
- Proverbs 18:22 (thematic): ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing’ — affirms the value of a spouse as a blessing/benefit, resonating with the exhortation to live joyfully with the wife you love.
- Song of Songs 3:4 (thematic): ‘I found him whom my soul loves… I held him’ — an expression of enduring love and clinging to the beloved, which thematically parallels committing one’s life to the wife you love.
- Genesis 2:24 (structural): Establishes the marriage bond (‘they shall become one flesh’) as the life‑long relationship paradigm that undergirds the exhortation to live with and enjoy the wife you love.
Alternative generated candidates
- Rejoice in life with the woman whom you love—all the days of the fleeting life that He has given you under the sun; for that is your portion in life and in the toil with which you labor under the sun.
- Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of the fleeting life that he has given you under the sun; for that is your portion in life and in your toil which you perform under the sun.
Ecc.9.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תמצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- בכחך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחשבון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחכמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשאול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמה: ADV
Parallels
- Colossians 3:23 (verbal): Direct verbal and ethical parallel: 'Whatever you do, work heartily' echoes Ecclesiastes' command to do with all your might whatever your hand finds to do.
- Ephesians 6:7 (thematic): Urges serving 'with goodwill, as to the Lord'—a New Testament reflection on wholehearted effort in one's tasks, resonating with Ecclesiastes' emphasis on wholehearted labor.
- Ecclesiastes 3:22 (thematic): Within Qoheleth: 'I perceived that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work'—a thematic counterpart encouraging enjoyment and earnestness in one's labor.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (thematic): Also Qoheleth's counsel to enjoy the fruit of one’s toil and to find satisfaction in one’s work—reinforces the book’s practical call to make the most of life’s activities.
- Proverbs 14:23 (thematic): 'In all labor there is profit' highlights the value and necessity of diligent work, aligning with Ecclesiastes' injunction to put full effort into what one can do while alive.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, device, knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave to which you are going.
- Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is neither work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Ecc.9.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שבתי: VERB,qal,inf
- וראה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לקלים: PREP+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- המרוץ: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- לגבורים: PREP+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- המלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וגם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לחכמים: PREP+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וגם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לנבנים: PREP+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- וגם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לידעים: PREP+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- חן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- עת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ופגע: CONJ+VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- יקרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 8:14 (structural): Within the same book—observes the same paradox that the righteous and the wicked often receive each other’s outcomes, underscoring the unpredictability of reward and consequence.
- Job 21:7 (thematic): Job questions why the wicked prosper despite lacking wisdom or righteousness, echoing Eccles. 9:11’s observation that success is not always tied to merit.
- Psalm 73:12-13 (thematic): Asaph laments the prosperity and ease of the wicked, a parallel complaint about the apparent injustice and randomness of fortune.
- Proverbs 16:33 (verbal): “The lot is cast into the lap…” links to the idea of chance determining outcomes—paralleling Eccles. 9:11’s ‘time and chance’ as decisive factors.
- James 4:13-15 (thematic): Warns against presuming on the future and stresses life’s uncertainty, resonating with Ecclesiastes’ theme that events occur by time and chance beyond human control.
Alternative generated candidates
- I returned and saw under the sun: the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance befall them all.
- I 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 befall them all.
Ecc.9.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- גם: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- עתו: NOUN,f,sg,suf-3,m
- כדגים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שנאחזים: CONJ+VERB,niphal,ptcp,3,m,pl
- במצודה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכצפרים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- האחזות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- בפח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יוקשים: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כשתפול: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- פתאם: ADV
Parallels
- Proverbs 27:1 (thematic): Both warn against presumptions about the future and stress human ignorance of the time of calamity or death ('you do not know what a day may bring').
- Amos 3:5 (verbal): Uses the bird-and-snare image to link unexpected disaster with divine causation—paralleling Ecclesiastes' motif of birds caught in a snare as a model for sudden misfortune.
- Psalm 124:7 (verbal): Shares the exact bird-in-a-snare imagery (the soul escaping like a bird from the fowler's snare), echoing the motif of humans being trapped by sudden calamity.
- Matthew 24:44 (thematic): Jesus' admonition to be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect parallels Ecclesiastes' emphasis on the suddenness and unpredictability of disaster or death.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 (thematic): Paul's language about events happening 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye' resonates with Ecclesiastes' stress on how calamity can fall suddenly upon people.
Alternative generated candidates
- For man does not know his time; like fish caught in a treacherous net and like birds caught in a snare, so are the sons of men snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
- For man does not know his time. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so are the sons of men snared at an evil time when it suddenly befalls them.
For I set my heart to know all this and to search into it: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; also their love and their hatred—man does not know anything that lies before them.
All things come alike to all: there is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked, for the clean and for the unclean, for him who sacrifices and for him who does not; the good is as the sinner, and he who swears is as he who fears to swear.
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun—that the same thing happens to all. Moreover the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and folly while they live, and afterward they go to the dead.
For he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for their name is forgotten.
Also their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more a portion forever in all that is done under the sun.
Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart; for God has already approved your works.
Let your garments be always white, and let oil not be lacking on your head.
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—this is your portion in life and in your toil with which you labor under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is neither work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave where you are going.
I 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 riches to the prudent, nor favor to men of skill; for time and chance happen to them all.
For man does not know his time: like fish caught in a cruel net, and like birds taken in a snare, so are the sons of men caught at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.