Ecclesiastes 9
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1 |
For 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.
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2 |
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
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.
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3 |
This 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.
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4 |
For to him that is joined to all the
living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead
lion.
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5 |
For 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.
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6 |
Also 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.
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7 |
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and
drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy
works.
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8 |
Let thy garments be always white; and
let thy head lack no ointment.
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9 |
Live 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 labor which thou takest
under the sun.
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10 |
Whatsoever 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.
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11 |
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
understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance
happeneth to them all.
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12 |
For 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.
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13 |
This wisdom have I seen also under the
sun, and it seemed great unto me:
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14 |
there 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.
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15 |
Now 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.
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16 |
Then said I, Wisdom is better than
strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and
his words are not heard.
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17 |
The words of wise men are heard
in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
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18 |
Wisdom is better than weapons of
war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
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