כִּי אֶת־כָּל־זֶה נָתַתִּי אֶל־לִבִּי וְלָבוּר אֶת־כָּל־זֶה אֲשֶׁר הַצַּדִּיקִים וְהַחֲכָמִים וַעֲבָדֵיהֶם בְּיַד   9:1

הָאֱלֹהִים גַּם־אַהֲבָה גַם־שִׂנְאָה אֵין יֹודֵעַ הָאָדָם הַכֹּל לִפְנֵיהֶם׃

Eccl. 9:1   When I committed all this to my heart, thus making clear all this:  That the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; whether lovingly or hatefully, the human being cannot know; anything may be ahead of them.

As the author sees the world, everything is in God’s control -- and His control is quite arbitrary.  This indeed is a fatalistic and pessimistic point of view.  But he has repudiated and will again repudiate this picture (see, among others, v. 9:4, 7, 8, and 9 below).  So he may not have completely believed it.

הַכֹּל כַּאֲשֶׁר לַכֹּל מִקְרֶה אֶחָד לַצַּדִּיק וְלָרָשָׁע לַטֹּוב וְלַטָּהֹור וְלַטָּמֵא וְלַזֹּבֵחַ וְלַאֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ זֹבֵחַ   9:2

כַּטֹּוב כַּחֹטֶא הַנִּשְׁבָּע כַּאֲשֶׁר שְׁבוּעָה יָרֵא׃

Eccl. 9:2   The same event for anyone as anyone else, for one righteous and for one wicked, for one good, and for one pure and for one impure, and for the one sacrificing and one for whom there is no sacrificing.  As the good one, so the sinner; the one swearing, as one fearing an oath.

זֶה רָע בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי־מִקְרֶה אֶחָד לַכֹּל וְגַם לֵב בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם מָלֵא־רָע וְהֹולֵלֹותַ   9:3

 בִּלְבָבָם בְּחַיֵּיהֶם וְאַחֲרָיו אֶל־הַמֵּתִים׃

Eccl. 9:3   This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that one event is for all, and also the heart of the children of humanity is full of evil, and madness is in their heart throughout their lives, and after that they are in among the dead.

כִּי־מִי אֲשֶׁר (יִבָּחֵר) [יְחֻבַּר] אֶל כָּל־הַחַיִּים יֵשׁ בִּטָּחֹון כִּי־לְכֶלֶב חַי הוּא טֹוב מִן־הָאַרְיֵה הַמֵּת׃   9:4

Eccl. 9:4   Surely whoever would choose to be in among all the living, there is hope, because it is better for a live dog than the dead lion.

The word in the parentheses can be translated as would choose to and the word in the brackets, which exchanges the position of the beth and chet, can be translated as would be joined with.  As I see it, the two expressions are similar and interchangeable.  I see no error here.

כִּי הַחַיִּים יֹודְעִים שֶׁיָּמֻתוּ וְהַמֵּתִים אֵינָם יֹודְעִים מְאוּמָה וְאֵין־עֹוד לָהֶם שָׂכָר כִּי נִשְׁכַּח זִכְרָם׃   9:5

Eccl. 9:5   For the living are sure that they will die, but the dead have not any knowing of anything, and there is no more reward for them, since memory of them is forgotten.

One thing seems clear.  The author seems to be pretty obsessed with his own mortality.  That’s probably the most certain thing we can say about him.

גַּם אַהֲבָתָם גַּם־שִׂנְאָתָם גַּם־קִנְאָתָם כְּבָר אָבָדָה וְחֵלֶק אֵין־לָהֶם עֹוד לְעֹולָם בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־נַעֲשָׂה   9:6

 תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃

Eccl. 9:6   Also their love, their hatred as well, and their envy already is lost, and portion, and there is not anymore for them forever in anything that is done under the sun.

לֵךְ אֱכֹל בְּשִׂמְחָה לַחְמֶךָ וּשֲׁתֵה בְלֶב־טֹוב יֵינֶךָ כִּי כְבָר רָצָה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־מַעֲשֶׂיךָ׃   9:7

Eccl. 9:7   Go eat your bread with joy

                             and drink your wine with a happy heart,

                     for God has already accepted your works.

בְּכָל־עֵת יִהְיוּ בְגָדֶיךָ לְבָנִים וְשֶׁמֶן עַל־רֹאשְׁךָ אַל־יֶחְסָר׃   9:8

Eccl. 9:8   In every season may your garments be white,

                             and oil not be lacking for your head.

רְאֵה חַיִּים עִם־אִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר־אָהַבְתָּ כָּל־יְמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלֶךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן־לְךָ תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כֹּל יְמֵי הֶבְלֶךָ   9:9

כִּי הוּא חֶלְקְךָ בַּחַיִּים וּבַעֲמָלְךָ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה עָמֵל תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃

Eccl. 9:9   Attend to life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity that He has given you under the sun -- all the days of your vanity -- for that is your portion in life, and in your labor by which you are toiling under the sun.

כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לַעֲשֹׂות בְּכֹחֲךָ עֲשֵׂה כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבֹּון וְדַעַת וְחָכְמָה בִּשְׁאֹול אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה   9:10

 הֹלֵךְ שָׁמָּה׃

Eccl. 9:10   All that your hand may attain to do with your strength, do, for there is no work or account or knowledge or wisdom in the grave to which you are going.

שַׁבְתִּי וְרָאֹה תַחַת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי לֹא לַקַּלִּים הַמֵּרֹוץ וְלֹא לַגִּבֹּורִים הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם לֹא לַחֲכָמִים לֶחֶם וְגַם   9:11

לֹא לַנְּבֹנִים עֹשֶׁר וְגַם לֹא לַיֹּדְעִים חֵן כִּי־עֵת וָפֶגַע יִקְרֶה אֶת־כֻּלָּם׃

Eccl. 9:11   I turn back to see under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or even bread to the wise, or even wealth to those understanding, or even favor to the skilled, but time and chance will befall them all.

כִּי גַּם לֹא־יֵדַע הָאָדָם אֶת־עִתֹּו כַּדָּגִים שֶׁנֶּאֱחָזִים בִּמְצֹודָה רָעָה וְכַצִּפֳּרִים הָאֲחֻזֹות בַּפָּח כָּהֵם   9:12

יוּקָשִׁים בְּנֵי הָאָדָם לְעֵת רָעָה כְּשֶׁתִּפֹּול עֲלֵיהֶם פִּתְאֹם׃

Eccl. 9:12   For indeed the human being does not know his time. as fish that are caught in an evil net or as birds being seized in a snare, like them the children of humanity may become snared at an evil time, as when it may fall on them suddenly.

גַּם־זֹה רָאִיתִי חָכְמָה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ וּגְדֹולָה הִיא אֵלָי׃   9:13

Eccl. 9:13   I see this too, wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me:

עִיר קְטַנָּה וַאֲנָשִׁים בָּהּ מְעָט וּבָא־אֵלֶיהָ מֶלֶךְ גָּדֹול וְסָבַב אֹתָהּ וּבָנָה עָלֶיהָ מְצֹודִים גְּדֹלִים׃   9:14

Eccl. 9:14   A small city and a few people in it, and a great king would come to it and surround it and build great bulwarks against it.

וּמָצָא בָהּ אִישׁ מִסְכֵּן חָכָם וּמִלַּט־הוּא אֶת־הָעִיר בְּחָכְמָתֹו וְאָדָם לֹא זָכַר אֶת־הָאִישׁ הַמִּסְכֵּן הַהוּא׃   9:15

Eccl. 9:15   Now one may find in it a poor wise person, and he might save the city with his wisdom.  Yet no human remembers that poor person.

וְאָמַרְתִּי אָנִי טֹובָה חָכְמָה מִגְּבוּרָה וְחָכְמַת הַמִּסְכֵּן בְּזוּיָה וּדְבָרָיו אֵינָם נִשְׁמָעִים׃   9:16

Eccl. 9:16   So I can say wisdom can be superior to strength.  But the wisdom of a poor person is disdained and none of his words are heard.

דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים בְּנַחַת נִשְׁמָעִים מִזַּעֲקַת מֹושֵׁל בַּכְּסִילִים׃   9:17

Eccl. 9:17   The words of the wise in quiet are regarded

                             more than the outcry of one ruling among fools.

טֹובָה חָכְמָה מִכְּלֵי קְרָב וְחֹוטֶא אֶחָד יְאַבֵּד טֹובָה הַרְבֵּה׃   9:18

Eccl. 9:18   Wisdom can be better than weapons of war,

                             but one sinner can destroy much good.

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