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Ecclesiastes 9

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1So 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.

2It 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.

3This 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.

4There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.

6Their 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.

7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:

8Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.

9Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.

10Whatever 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.

11I 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.

12For 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.

13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me:

14There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

16And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

17The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

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Anointing: A Token of Joy Ecclesiastes 9:7, 8

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.

Being Consistent Ecclesiastes 9:10

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.

Being Lucky Ecclesiastes 9:11

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.

Birds: (Snaring) Death Ecclesiastes 9:12

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.

Boredom Ecclesiastes 9:10

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.

Business Ecclesiastes 9:10

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.

Chance Ecclesiastes 9:11

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.

Character of the Unrenewed Heart: Full of Evil Ecclesiastes 9:3

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.

Character of the Unrenewed Heart: Mad Ecclesiastes 9:3

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.

Cities: Often Insignificant Ecclesiastes 9:14

There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

Commitment to Church Ecclesiastes 9:10

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.

Communicating with the Dead Ecclesiastes 9:10

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.

Company: Evil Ecclesiastes 9:18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

Conspiracies Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.

Contentment: General Scriptures Concerning Ecclesiastes 9:7–9

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 you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.

Dead (People): Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know 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.

Death: Preparation For Ecclesiastes 9:4, 10

There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion. / 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.

Death: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Ecclesiastes 9:3, 5, 6, 10

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. / For the living know that they will die, but the dead know 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.

Depravity of Man: General Scriptures Concerning Ecclesiastes 9:3

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.

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