Ecclesiastes 9; Ecclesiastes 10; Ecclesiastes 11; Ecclesiastes 12

Ecclesiastes 9

1 All these things have I considered in my heart, that I might carefully understand them: there are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of God: and yet man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love, or hatred:

2 But all things are kept uncertain for the time to come, because all things equally happen to the just and to the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him that offereth victims, and to him that despiseth sacrifices. As the good is, so also is the sinner: as the perjured, so he also that sweareth truth.

3 This is a very great evil among all things that are done under the sun, that the same things happen to all men: whereby also the hearts of the children of men are filled with evil, and with contempt while they live, and afterwards they shall be brought down to hell.

4 There is no man that liveth always, or that hopeth for this: a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing more, neither have they a reward any more: for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy are all perished, neither have they any part in this world, and in the work that is done under the sun.

7 Go then, and eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with gladness: because thy works please God.

8 At all times let thy garments be white, and let not oil depart from thy head.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest, all the days of thy unsteady life, which are given to thee under the sun, all the time of thy vanity: for this is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherewith thou labourest under the sun.

10 Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening.

11 I turned me to another thing, and I saw that under the sun, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the learned, nor favour to the skilful: but time and chance in all.

12 Man knoweth not his own end: but as fishes are taken with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them.

13 This wisdom also I have seen under the sun, and it seemed to me to be very great:

14 A little city, and few men in it: there came against it a great king, and invested it, and built bulwarks round about it, and the siege was perfect.

15 Now there was found in it a man poor and wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man afterward remembered that poor man.

16 And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard?

17 The words of the wise are heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools.

18 Better is wisdom, than weapons of war: and he that shall offend in one, shall lose many good things.

Ecclesiastes 10

1 Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.

2 The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.

3 Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.

4 If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:

6 A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.

7 I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.

8 He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

9 He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.

10 If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.

11 If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.

12 The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.

13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.

14 A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15 The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not how to go to the city.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning.

17 Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.

18 By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.

19 For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.

20 Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.

Ecclesiastes 11

1 Cast thy bread upon the running waters: for after a long time thou shalt find it again.

2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

3 If the clouds be full, they will pour out rain upon the earth. If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be.

4 He that observeth the wind, shall not sow: and he that considereth the clouds, shall never reap.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones are joined together in the womb of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the works of God, who is the maker of all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand cease: for thou knowest not which may rather spring up, this or that: and if both together, it shall be the better.

7 The light is sweet, and it is delightful for the eyes to see the sun.

8 If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he must remember the darksome time, and the many days: which when they shall come, the things past shall be accused of vanity.

9 Rejoice therefore, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes: and know that for all these God will bring thee into judgment.

10 Remove anger from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh. For youth and pleasure are vain.

Ecclesiastes 12

1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

2 Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:

3 When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:

4 And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder’s voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.

5 And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.

6 Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,

7 And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.

9 And whereas Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and declared the things that he had done: and seeking out, he set forth many parables.

10 He sought profitable words, and wrote words most right, and full of truth.

11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails deeply fastened in, which by the counsel of masters are given from one shepherd.

12 More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.

13 Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:

14 And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.