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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ecclesiastes 9 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/9.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ecclesiastes/9-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Ecclesiastes 9</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/8.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 8">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 9 <a href="../ecclesiastes/10.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 10">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">One Day at a Time</h3><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_1"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.1" class="v21_9_1">1</span>I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any one of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad.<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.9.1!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v21_9_2"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.2" class="v21_9_2">2</span>But exactly<a href="#fn" id="link_Eccl.9.2!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or are afraid to make them.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_3"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.3" class="v21_9_3">3</span>It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. </span><span class="v21_9_4"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.4" class="v21_9_4">4</span>As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. </span><span class="v21_9_5"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.5" class="v21_9_5">5</span>We know we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. </span><span class="v21_9_6"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.6" class="v21_9_6">6</span>Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_7"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.7" class="v21_9_7">7</span>So be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. </span><span class="v21_9_8"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.8" class="v21_9_8">8</span>Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. </span><span class="v21_9_9"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.9" class="v21_9_9">9</span>Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. </span><span class="v21_9_10"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.10" class="v21_9_10">10</span>Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or even knows anything.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_11"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.11" class="v21_9_11">11</span>Here is something else I have learned:</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_11">The fastest runners</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_11">and the greatest heroes</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_11">don't always win races</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_11">and battles.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_11">Wisdom, intelligence, and skill</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_11">don't always make you healthy,</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_11">rich, or popular.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_11">We each have our own share</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_11">of misfortune.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_12"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.12" class="v21_9_12">12</span>None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Better To Be Wise than Foolish</h3><p class="par"><span class="v21_9_13"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.13" class="v21_9_13">13</span>Once I saw what people really think of wisdom, and it made an impression on me. </span><span class="v21_9_14"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.14" class="v21_9_14">14</span>It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. </span><span class="v21_9_15"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.15" class="v21_9_15">15</span>But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. </span><span class="v21_9_16"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.16" class="v21_9_16">16</span>So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how smart you are.</span></p><p class="b"></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_17"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.17" class="v21_9_17">17</span>Words of wisdom spoken softly</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_17">make much more sense</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_17">than the shouts of a ruler</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_17">to a crowd of fools.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_18"><span class="reftext" id="Eccl.9.18" class="v21_9_18">18</span>Wisdom is more powerful</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_18">than weapons,</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v21_9_18">yet one mistake can destroy</span></p><p class="q2"><span class="v21_9_18">all the good you have done.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.1 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">or bad: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Three ancient translations; the Hebrew text does not have these words.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.2 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">But exactly: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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