American Standard Version - King James Version

 9:1 ¶ 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 be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

 9:1 ¶ Forºº allº thisº I consideredºº inº my heartº even to declareººº allº this,º thatº the righteous,º and the wise,º and their works,º [are] in the handº of God:º noº manº knowethºº eitherº loveº orº hatredº [by] allº [that is] beforeº them.

 9:2 All 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.

 9:2 Allº [things come] alikeº to all:º [there is] oneº eventº to the righteous,º and to the wicked;º to the goodº and to the clean,º and to the unclean;º to him that sacrificeth,ºº and to him thatº sacrificethººº not:º as [is] the good,º so [is] the sinner;ºº [and] he that sweareth,ºº asº [he] that fearethºº an oath.º

 9:3 This is an evil in all that is 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.

 9:3 Thisº [is] an evilº among allº [things] thatº are doneºº underº the sun,º thatº [there is] oneº eventº unto all:º yea, alsoº the heartº of the sonsº of menº is fullºº of evil,º and madnessº [is] in their heartº while they live,º and afterº that [they go] toº the dead.ºº

 9:4 ¶ For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

 9:4 ¶ Forºº to himº thatº isº joinedºººº toº allº the livingº there isº hope:º forº a livingº dogº is betterº thanº a deadºº lion.º

 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

 9:5 Forº the livingº knowºº that they shall die:ººº but the deadºº knowºº notº any thing,º neitherº have they any moreº a reward;º forº the memoryº of them is forgotten.ºº

 9:6 As well their love, as their hatred and their envy, is perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

 9:6 Alsoº their love,º andº their hatred,º andº their envy,º is nowº perished;ºº neitherº have they any moreº a portionº for everº in anyº [thing] thatº is doneºº underº the sun.º

 9:7 ¶ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.

 9:7 ¶ Goº thy way,ºº eatºº thy breadº with joy,º and drinkºº thy wineº with a merryº heart;º forº Godº nowº acceptethººº thy works.º

 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack oil.

 9:8 Let thy garmentsº beº alwaysºº white;º and let thy headº lackºº noº ointment.º

 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all thy days of vanity: for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the sun.

 9:9 Liveº joyfullyººº withº the wifeº whomº thou lovestºº allº the daysº of the lifeº of thy vanity,º whichº he hath givenºº thee underº the sun,º allº the daysº of thy vanity:º forº thatº [is] thy portionº in [this] life,º and in thy labourº whichº thouº takestº underº the sun.º

 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.

 9:10 Whatsoeverºº thy handº findethºº to do,ºº doºº [it] with thy might;º forº [there is] noº work,º nor device,º nor knowledge,º nor wisdom,º in the grave,º whitherºº thouº goest.ºº

 9:11 ¶ I 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 favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

 9:11 ¶ I returned,ºº and sawºº underº the sun,º thatº the raceº [is] notº to the swift,º norº the battleº to the strong,º neitherº yetº breadº to the wise,º norº yetº richesº to men of understanding,ºº norº yetº favourº to men of skill;ºº butº timeº and chanceº happenethºº toº them all.º

 9:12 For 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, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

 9:12 Forº manº alsoº knowethºº notºº his time:º as the fishesº that are takenººº in an evilº net,ºº and as the birdsº that are caughtºº in the snare;º soº [are] the sonsº of menº snaredºº in an evilº time,º when it fallethººº suddenlyº uponº them.

 9:13 ¶ I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me:

 9:13 ¶ Thisº wisdomº have I seenºº alsoº underº the sun,º and itº [seemed] greatº untoº me:

 9:14 There 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.

 9:14 [There was] a littleº city,º and fewº menºº within it; and there cameºº a greatº kingº againstº it, and besiegedºº it, and builtºº greatº bulwarksº againstº it:

 9:15 Now 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.

 9:15 Now there was foundºº in it a poorº wiseº man,º and heº by his wisdomº deliveredººº the city;º yet noº manº rememberedººº that sameº poorº man.º

 9:16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

 9:16 Then saidºº I,º Wisdomº [is] betterº than strength:ºº nevertheless the poor man'sº wisdomº [is] despised,ºº and his wordsº are notº heard.ºº

 9:17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

 9:17 The wordsº of wiseº [men are] heardºº in quietº more than the cryºº of him that rulethºº among fools.º

 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.

 9:18 Wisdomº [is] betterº than weaponsºº of war:º but oneº sinnerºº destroyethºº muchºº good.º