Chapter 9

God’s providence rules over all—All men are subject to time and chance—Wisdom is better than strength—One sinner destroys much good.


 All things come alike to all: there is one aevent to the brighteous, 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 csweareth, as he that dfeareth an oath.


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



 ¶Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a amerry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

 Let thy garments be always awhite; and let thy head lack no ointment.

 Live ajoyfully with the bwife whom thou clovest all the days of the life of thy dvanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy eportion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy amight; for there is no work, nor device, nor bknowledge, nor wisdom, in the cgrave, whither thou goest.

 11 ¶I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the aswift, 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.

 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; so are the sons of men asnared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

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



 16 Then said I, aWisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s bwisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.


 18 aWisdom is better than weapons of war: but one bsinner destroyeth much good.