1 B ut 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, in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole before them.

¶ Certainly I applied my heart unto all of this that I might declare all of this: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; no man knows either love or hatred by all that passes before them.

2 T he whole 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 the good, so the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing an oath.

All 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 sacrifices and to him that does not sacrifice: as unto the good so unto the sinner; and unto him that swears as unto him that fears the oath.

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

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all; and also that 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.

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

¶ For to him that is still among the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 F or 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.

For the living know that they shall die, but the dead do not know any thing; neither do they have any more reward, for their memory is placed into oblivion.

6 T heir 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.

Even their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion in the age in any thing that is done under the sun.

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

Go, eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a joyful heart that thy works might be acceptable unto God.

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

Thy garments shall always be white, and thy head shall never lack ointment.

9 S ee 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 thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at under the sun.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou dost love all the days which thou art to live in this lake of vanity, which are given unto thee; all the days of thy vanity under the sun: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour in which thou dost work under the sun.

10 A ll 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.

Whatever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, where thou goest.

11 I have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift 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.

¶ 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 yet riches to men of prudence, nor yet grace to men of eloquence; but time and chance happens to them all.

12 F or 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 the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.

For man also does not know 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 the evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.

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

¶ I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, which is important unto me:

14 A 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;

There was a little city and few men within it; and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it;

15 a nd 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!

now 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.

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

Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength: even though the poor man’s knowledge is despised, and his words are not heard.

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

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that rules among fools.

18 B etter wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.