Bible History
Bible History

Ecclesiastes 9 - New English Translation (NET)

You are here: Home New English Translation (NET) Ecclesiastes 9

Everyone Will Die

9 So I reflected on all this,[a] attempting to clear[b] it all up.
I concluded that[c] the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated[d]—
no one knows what lies ahead.[e]
2 Everyone shares the same fate[f]—
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad,[g]
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;[h]
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
3 This is the unfortunate fact[i] about everything that happens on earth:[j]
the same fate awaits[k] everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all people[l] are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die.[m]

Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead

4 But whoever is among[n] the living[o] has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward—and even the memory of them disappears.[p]
6 What they loved,[q] as well as what they hated[r] and envied,[s] perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.[t]

Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys

7 Go, eat your food[u] with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9 Enjoy[v] life with your beloved wife[w] during all the days of your fleeting[x] life
that God[y] has given you on earth[z] during all your fleeting days;[aa]
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work[ab] on earth.[ac]
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands,[ad]
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave,[ae]
the place where you will eventually go.[af]

Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events

11 Again,[ag] I observed this on the earth:[ah]
the race is not always[ai] won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity[aj] does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success[ak] always come to those with the most knowledge—
for time and chance may overcome[al] them all.
12 Surely, no one[am] knows his appointed time.[an]
Like fish that are caught in a deadly[ao] net, and like birds that are caught in a snare—
just like them, all people[ap] are ensnared[aq] at an unfortunate[ar] time that falls upon them suddenly.

Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel

13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,[as]
and it is a great burden[at] to me:
14 There was once[au] a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging[av] it and building strong[aw] siege works against it.
15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city,[ax]
and he could have delivered[ay] the city by his wisdom,
but no one listened to[az] that poor man.
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,[ba]
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens[bb] to his advice.[bc]

Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly

17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard[bd] among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction plus Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.
  3. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  4. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”
  5. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”
  6. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tn Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”
  7. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tc The MT reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man…the sinner,” and “those who make vows…those who are afraid to make vows”), the MT has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov velattahor velattameʾ, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex (ca. a.d. 1008)—the basis of the BHS and BHK publications of the MT—is also supported by the Ben Asher text of the First Rabbinic Bible (“the Soncino Bible”) published in a.d. 1488-94. On the other hand, the Greek version in B (Aquila) has two pairs: “the good and the bad, and the clean and the unclean.” Either Aquila inserted καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to fill out a pair and to create six parallel pairs in v. 2, or Aquila reflects an early Hebrew textual tradition tradition of לַטּוֹב וְלַרָע (lattov velaraʿ, “the good and the bad”). Since Aquila is well known for his commitment to a literal—at times even a mechanically wooden—translation of the Hebrew, with no room for improvisation, it is more than likely that Aquila is reflecting an authentic Hebrew textual tradition. Aquila dates to a.d. 130, while the Leningrad Codex dates to a.d. 1008; therefore, the Vorlage of Aquila might have been the original Hebrew textual tradition, being much earlier than the MT of the Leningrad Codex. The alternate textual tradition of Aquila is also seen in the Syriac and Latin versions (but these are dependent upon the Greek = Aquila). On the other hand, the editors of BHK and BHS suggest that the presence of the anomalous לַטּוֹב was an addition to the Hebrew text, and should be deleted. They also suggest that the Greek pair τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ (tō agathō kai tō kakō, “the good and the bad”) does not reflect an alternate textual tradition, but that their Vorlage contained only לַטּוֹב: the Greek version intentionally added καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to create a pair. The English versions are divided. Several follow the Greek: “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean” (NEB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, Moffatt, NLT). Others follow the Hebrew: “the good and the clean and the unclean” (KJV, ASV, MLB, NJPS). None, however, delete “the good” (לַטּוֹב) as suggested by the BHK and BHS editors. If the shorter text were original, the addition of καὶ τῷ κακῷ would be intentional. If the longer text were original, the omission of וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) could have caused by unintentional homoioarcton (“similar beginning”) in the three-fold repetition of לט in וְלַרָע וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא לַטּוֹב (lattov velaraʿ velattahor velattameʾ, “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean”). The term וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) was accidentally omitted when a scribe skipped from the first occurrence of לט in לַטּוֹב to its second occurrence in the word וְלַטָּהוֹר (“the clean”).
  8. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tn Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”
  9. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “evil.”
  10. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  11. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn The term “awaits” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
  12. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “also the heart of the sons of man.” Here “heart” is a collective singular.
  13. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “and after that [they go] to [the place of] the dead.”
  14. Ecclesiastes 9:4 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “is chosen, selected.” The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), “is joined.” See BDB 288 s.v. חָבַר Pu.
  15. Ecclesiastes 9:4 tn Heb “all the living.”
  16. Ecclesiastes 9:5 tn Heb “for their memory is forgotten.” The pronominal suffix is an objective genitive, “memory of them.”
  17. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their love.”
  18. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their hatred.”
  19. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their envy.”
  20. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  21. Ecclesiastes 9:7 tn Heb “your bread.”
  22. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “see.”
  23. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “the wife whom you love.”
  24. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn As discussed in the note on the word “futile” in 1:2, the term הֶבֶל (hevel) has a wide range of meanings, and should not be translated the same in every place (see HALOT 236-37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210-11 s.v. I הבֶל). The term is used in two basic ways in OT, literally and figuratively. The literal, concrete sense is used in reference to the wind, man’s transitory breath, evanescent vapor (Isa 57:13; Pss 62:10; 144:4; Prov 21:6; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is often a synonym for “breath; wind” (Eccl 1:14; Isa 57:13; Jer 10:14). The literal sense lent itself to the metaphorical sense. Because breath/vapor/wind is transitory and fleeting, the figurative connotation “fleeting; transitory” arose (e.g., Prov 31:30; Eccl 6:12; 7:15; 9:9; 11:10; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is parallel to “few days” and “[days] which he passes like a shadow” (Eccl 6:12). It is used in reference to youth and vigor (11:10) or life (6:12; 7:15; 9:9) which are “transitory” or “fleeting.” In this context, the most appropriate meaning is “fleeting.”
  25. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “under the sun”
  27. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tc The phrase כָּל יְמֵי הֶבְלֶךָ (kol yeme hevlekha, “all your fleeting days”) is present in the MT, but absent in the Greek versions, other medieval Hebrew mss, and the Targum. Its appearance in the MT may be due to dittography (repetition: the scribe wrote twice what should have been written once) from כָּל יְמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלֶךָ (kol yeme khayye hevlekha, “all the days of your fleeting life”) which appears in the preceding line. On the other hand, its omission in the alternate textual tradition may be due to haplography (accidental omission of repeated words) with the earlier line.
  28. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “in your toil in which you toil.”
  29. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  30. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”
  31. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Heb “Sheol.”
  32. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Or “where you are about to go.”
  33. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”
  34. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  35. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.
  36. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “bread.”
  37. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “favor.”
  38. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “happen to.”
  39. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “man.” The term is used here in a generic sense and translated “no one.”
  40. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “time.” BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.d suggests that עֵת (ʿet, “time”) refers to an “uncertain time.” On the other hand, HALOT 901 s.v. עֵת 6 nuances it as “destined time,” that is, “no one knows his destined time [i.e., hour of destiny].” It is used in parallelism with זְמָן (zeman, “appointed time; appointed hour”) in 3:1 (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן; BDB 273 s.v. זְמָן). Eccl 3:9-15 teaches God’s sovereignty over the appointed time-table of human events. Similarly, Qoheleth here notes that no one knows what God has appointed in any situation or time. This highlights the limitations of human wisdom and human ability, as 9:11 stresses.
  41. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “bad, evil.” The moral connotation hardly fits here. The adjective would seem to indicate that the net is the instrument whereby the fish come to ruin.
  42. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
  43. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn The Masoretes pointed the consonantal form יוקשׁים (“are ensnared”) as יוּקָשִׁים (yuqashim, Pual participle mpl from יָקֹשׁ , yaqosh, “to be ensnared”). This is an unusual form for a Pual participle: (1) The characteristic doubling of the middle consonant was omitted due to the lengthening of the preceding short vowel from יֻקָּשִׁים to יוּקָשִׁים (GKC 74 §20.n and 143 §52.s), and (2) The characteristic prefix מ (mem) is absent, as in a few other Pual participles, e.g., Exod 3:2; Judg 13:8; 2 Kgs 2:10; Isa 30:24; 54:11 (GKC 143 §52.s). On the other hand, the consonant form יוקשים might actually be an example of the old Qal passive participle which dropped out of Hebrew at an early stage, and was frequently mistaken by the Masoretes as a Pual form (e.g., Jer 13:10; 23:32) (GKC 143 §52.s). Similarly, the Masoretes pointed אכל as אֻכָּל (ʾukkal, Pual perfect third person masculine singular “he was eaten”); however, it probably should be pointed אֻכַל (ʾukhal, old Qal passive perfect third person masculine singular “he was eaten”) because אָכַל (ʾakhal) only occurs in the Qal (see IBHS 373-74 §22.6a).
  44. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “evil.” The term רָעָה (raʿah, “evil; unfortunate”) is repeated in v. 12 in the two parts of the comparison: “fish are caught in an evil (רָעָה) net” and “men are ensnared at an unfortunate (רָעָה) time.”
  45. Ecclesiastes 9:13 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  46. Ecclesiastes 9:13 tn The term “burden” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  47. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The verbs in this section function either as past definite actions (describing a past situation) or as hypothetical past actions (describing an imaginary hypothetical situation for the sake of illustration). The LXX uses subjunctives throughout vv. 14-15 to depict the scenario as a hypothetical situation: “Suppose there was a little city, and a few men [lived] in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great siege-works against it; and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom; yet no man would remember that poor man.”
  48. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The two perfect tense verbs וְסָבַב (vesavav, “he besieged”) and וּבָנָה (uvanah, “he built”) may be taken in a complementary sense, qualifying the action of the main perfect tense verb וּבָא (uvaʾ, “he attacked it”).
  49. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The root גדל (“mighty; strong; large”) is repeated in 9:13b for emphasis: “a mighty (גָדוֹל, gadol) king…building strong (גְדֹלִים, gedolim) siege works.” This repetition highlights the contrast between the vast power and resources of the attacking king, and the meager resources of the “little” (קְטַנָּה, qetannah) city with “few” (מְעָט, meʿat) men in it to defend it.
  50. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Heb “was found in it”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  51. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Or “he delivered.” The verb וּמִלַּט (umillat, from מָלַט, malat, “to deliver”) is functioning either in an indicative sense (past definite action: “he delivered”) or in a modal sense (past potential: “he could have delivered”). The literal meaning of זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”) in the following line harmonizes with the indicative: “but no one remembered that poor man [afterward].” However, the modal is supported by v. 16: “A poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice.” This approach must nuance זָכַר (“to remember”) as “[no one] listened to [that poor man].” Most translations favor the indicative approach: “he delivered” or “he saved” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NAB, ASV, NASB, MLB, NIV); however, some adopt the modal nuance: “he might have saved” (NEB, NJPS, NASB margin).
  52. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Heb “remembered.”
  53. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Or “power.”
  54. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishmaʿim, Niphal participle masculine plural from שָׁמַע, [shamaʿ] “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
  55. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
  56. Ecclesiastes 9:17 tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.

You Might Also Like:

Ecclesiastes 9 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

9 But 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, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole [is] before them. 2 The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wic...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

9 I treated all these things in mine heart, to understand diligently. Just men, and wise men there be, and their works be in the hand of God; and nevertheless a man knoweth not, whether he is worthy of love or of hate. (I treated, or considered, all these things in my mind, to diligently understand ...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - World English Bible (WEB)

9 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them. 2 All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to th...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - The Voice (VOICE)

9 Teacher: So I set my mind on all of this, examined it thoroughly, and here’s what I think: The righteous and the wise and all their deeds are in God’s hands. Whether they are destined to be loved or hated, no one but God knows. 2 Everyone shares a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the ...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

One Destiny for All9 For all this I laid on my heart and to ascertain all this: that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works are in the hand of God. Whether love or hatred, no one knows—everything awaits them. 2 Everyone shares the same destiny: for the righteous and the wicked; for the g...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Take Life as It Comes9 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate man does not know. Everything before them is vanity,[a] 2 since one fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the goo...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Take Life as It Comes9 All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate one does not know. Everything that confronts them 2 is vanity,[a] since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, t...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Take Life as It Comes9 All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate one does not know. Everything that confronts them 2 is vanity,[a] since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Death Comes to All9 This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. 2 The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad,[a] ceremonially clean or unclean, religiou...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New Life Version (NLV)

9 For I have thought of all this, how good and wise men and their works are in the hand of God. Man does not know if love or hate is waiting for them. 2 It is the same for all. The same thing will happen to both the man who is good and the man who is sinful. The same thing will happen to the clean a...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Death Comes to All9 For I [a]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: (A)that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 2 (B)All things come alike to all:One event happens to the r...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

A common destiny for all9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2 All share a common destiny – the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean,...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Version (NIV)

A Common Destiny for All9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(A) 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean,...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Everyone Dies9 I thought about all these things. I realized that those who are wise and do what is right are under God’s control. What they do is also under his control. But no one knows whether they will be loved or hated. 2 Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. ...
Read More

Ecclesiastes 9 - New Century Version (NCV)

Is Death Fair?9 I thought about all this and tried to understand it. I saw that God controls good people and wise people and what they do, but no one knows if they will experience love or hate. 2 Good and bad people end up the same— those who are right and those who are wrong,those who are good and ...
Read More

61 Bible Translations

Popular Articles

Explore the Bible Like Never Before!

Bible History Online

Bible Study Tools

Top Tags