| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1For 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. | 1This, 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. |
| 2All 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. | 2The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t. |
| 3This 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. | 3It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. |
| 4For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. | 4There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” |
| 5For 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. | 5The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. |
| 6Also 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. | 6Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. |
| 7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. | 7So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! |
| 8Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. | 8Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! |
| 9Live 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 labour which thou takest under the sun. | 9Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. |
| 10Whatsoever 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. | 10Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. |
| 11I 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 favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. | 11I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. |
| 12For 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. | 12People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. Thoughts on Wisdom and Folly |
| 13This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: | 13Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. |
| 14There 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: | 14There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. |
| 15Now 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. | 15A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. |
| 16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. | 16So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long. |
| 17The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. | 17Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king. |
| 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. | 18Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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