So - 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.
vvv It 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.
This 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.
There is hope , however , for anyone who - is among ... vvv the living ; for even a live ... dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they will die , but the dead know vvv nothing. They have no further reward , because the memory of them is forgotten.
Their 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.
Go , eat your bread with joy , and drink your wine with a cheerful heart , for God - has already approved your works :
Let your garments always ... be white , and never spare the oil for your head.
Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that (God) has given under the sun — all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor - - ... under the sun.
Whatever - 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.
I 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.
For 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.
I have also seen ... this wisdom under the sun , and it (was) great to me :
There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it , surrounded it , - and built large siege ramps against it.
Now a poor wise man was found and he - saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered - that poor man.
And I said , “ Wisdom is better than strength , but the wisdom of the poor man is despised , and his words are not heeded. ”
The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war , but one sinner destroys much good.