¶ For all this I considered in my heart¹ even to declare all this, that the² righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man³ knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

All things come alike⁴ 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 is⁵ the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth⁶ an oath.

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also⁷ the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness⁸ is in their heart while they live, and after⁹ that they go to the dead.

¶¹⁰For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living¹¹ know that they shall die: but the dead¹² know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the¹³ memory of them is forgotten.

Also their love¹⁴, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they¹⁵ any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Go¹⁶ thy way, eat¹⁷ thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for¹⁸ God now accepteth thy works.

Let thy garments¹⁹ be always white; and let thy head²⁰ lack no ointment.

Live joyfully²¹ with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life²² of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for²³ that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

¶ Whatsoever thy hand²⁴ findeth to do, do it with thy might; for²⁵ there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

¶ I returned²⁶, and saw under the sun, that the race²⁷ 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; but²⁸ time and chance happeneth to them all.

For man²⁹ also knoweth not his time: as the fishes³⁰ that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons³¹ of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

¶³²This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

There was³³ 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:

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet³⁴ no man remembered that same poor man.

Then said I, Wisdom³⁵ is better than strength: nevertheless the poor³⁶ man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

³⁷The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

Wisdom is better³⁸ than weapons of war: but one sinner³⁹ destroyeth much good.