Open English Translation ECC Chapter 9

9 Indeed I set my mind to examine all this

and concluded that godly and wise people and their work is in God’s hands.

Being loved or being hated, humankind doesn’t know what’s ahead of them.

2 We all have the same fate whether godly or wicked,

or good or pure or impure,

whether you sacrifice or not,

or you’re good or disobedient,

or you make a promise or you’re the subject of a promise.

3 There’s evil in everything that’s done in this world:

that same final event for everyone.

Yes, humankind’s minds are full of evil and madness during their lifetimes,

and after that they join the dead.

4 Anyone who’s joined to the living has hope,

because a dog that’s alive is better than a lion that’s dead,

5 because the living know that we’ll die

but the dead don’t know anything

and have no further reward because their memory is forgotten.

6 Their love and hatred and their envy will have already perished,

and they no longer have a part in everything that’s done in this world.

7 So go and enjoy eating your food and drinking your wine

because God has already approved what you’ve been doing.

8 Always let your clothes be clean and white,

and don’t spare the use of lotion on your head.

9 Live together with the wife that you love

for all the length of your pointless life that you’re given in this world,

because that’s your allocation in your life

and in the work that you’re doing in this world.

10 Everything that you find to do, do it well,

because in the grave where you’ll be going,

there’s no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

11 I again saw in this world

that the fastest ones don’t always win the race,

the most powerful side doesn’t always win the war,

wise people don’t always have enough to eat,

intelligent people don’t always get wealthy,

and people with understanding don’t always win favour,

because chance and timing affects them all.

12 You see, humanity doesn’t know when their time is about to be up:

just like a fish getting caught in a deadly net,

or birds that get caught in a trap,

so too people can get caught out when trouble suddenly hits them.