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Ecclesiastes 9
This too, I carefully explored-that godly and wise men are in God's will,
no one knows whether he will favor them or not. All is chance! The same
providence confronts everyone, whether good or bad, religious or
irreligious, profane or godly. It seems so unfair, that one fate come to
all. That is why men are not more careful to be good, but instead choose
their own mad course, for they have no hope-there is nothing but death
ahead anyway.
There is hope only for the living. “It is better to be a live dog than
a dead lion!”
For the living at least know that the will die! But the dead know
nothing; they don't even have their memories. Whatever they did in their
lifetimes-loving, hating, envying-is long gone, and they have no part of
anything here on earth any more. So go ahead, eat, drink, and be merry,
for it makes no difference to God! Wear fine clothes=with a dash of
cologne! Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of
life, for the wife God gave you is your best reward down here for all your
earthly toil. Whatever you do, do well, for in death, where you are going,
there is no working or planning or knowing or understanding.
Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person
does not always win the race; not the strongest man the battle, and that
wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but
it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right
time. A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like
a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare.
Here is another thing that has made a deep impression on me as I have
watched human affairs. There was a small city with only a few people
living in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it.
There was in the city a wise man, very poor, and he knew what to do
to save the city, and so it was rescued. But afterwards no one thought any
more about him. Then I realized that though wisdom is better than
strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, and
what he says will not be appreciated. But even so, the quiet words of a
wise man are better than the shout of a king of fools. “Wisdom is better
than weapons of war, but one rotten apple can spoil a barrel full.” |
