Ecclesiastes 9:3

New International Reader's Version

Here’s what is so bad about everything that happens on this earth. Death catches up with all of us. Also, the hearts of people are full of evil. They live in foolish pleasure. After that, they join those who have already died.

Cross References

Genesis 6:5

The Lord saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things.

Genesis 8:21

The smell of the offerings pleased the Lord. He said to himself, “I will never put a curse on the ground again because of human beings. I will not do it even though their hearts are always directed toward evil. Their thoughts are evil from the time they are young. I will never destroy all living things again, as I have just done.

Job 15:16

So he’ll certainly find fault with human beings. After all, they are evil and sinful. They drink up evil as if it were water.

Job 21:26

Side by side they lie in the dust of death. The worms in their graves cover all of them.

Job 9:22

It all amounts to the same thing. That’s why I say, ‘God destroys honest people and sinful people alike.’

Psalm 51:5

I know I’ve been a sinner ever since I was born. I’ve been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.

Psalm 64:7

But God will shoot my enemies with his arrows. He will suddenly strike them down.

Proverbs 14:32

When trouble comes, sinners are brought down. But godly people seek safety in God even as they die.

Ecclesiastes 1:17

Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 12:7

Remember your Creator before you return to the dust you came from. Remember him before your spirit goes back to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 2:14

The eyes of a wise person see things clearly. A person who is foolish lives in darkness. But I finally realized that death catches up with both of them.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

So it’s better to go where people are mourning than to go where people are having a good time. Everyone will die someday. Those who are still living should really think about that.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

So I tried to understand wisdom more completely. I wanted to study it and figure it out. I tried to find out everything I could about it. I tried to understand why it’s foolish to be evil. I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.

Ecclesiastes 8:11

Sometimes the sentence for a crime isn’t carried out quickly. So people make plans to commit even more crimes.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Here’s something else I’ve seen on this earth. Races aren’t always won by those who run fast. Battles aren’t always won by those who are strong. Wise people don’t always have plenty of food. Clever people aren’t always wealthy. Those who have learned a lot aren’t always successful. God controls the timing of every event. He also controls how things turn out.

Ecclesiastes 9:2

Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. It comes to good and bad people alike. It comes to “clean” and “unclean” people alike. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don’t offer them also die. A good person dies, and so does a sinner. Those who make promises die. So do those who are afraid to make them.

Ecclesiastes 9:4

Anyone who is still living has hope. Even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

Jeremiah 16:12

But you have done more evil things than they did. All of you are doing what your stubborn and evil hearts want you to do. You are not obeying me.

Jeremiah 17:10

The Lord says, “I look deep down inside human hearts. I see what is in people’s minds. I reward each person in keeping with their conduct. I bless them based on what they have done.”

Jeremiah 17:9

A human heart is more dishonest than anything else. It can’t be healed. Who can understand it?

Luke 15:17

“Then he began to think clearly again. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger!

Luke 6:11

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. They began to talk to one another about what they might do to Jesus.

Acts 12:23

Right away an angel of the Lord struck Herod down. Herod had not given praise to God. So he was eaten by worms and died.

Acts 26:11

I often went from one synagogue to another to have them punished. I tried to force them to speak evil things against Jesus. All I wanted to do was hurt them. I even went looking for them in the cities of other lands.

Acts 26:24

While Paul was still presenting his case, Festus interrupted. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you crazy!”

Titus 3:3

At one time we too acted like fools. We didn’t obey God. We were tricked. We were controlled by all kinds of desires and pleasures. We were full of evil. We wanted what belongs to others. People hated us, and we hated one another.

2 Peter 2:16

But a donkey corrected him for the wrong he did. Animals don’t speak. But the donkey spoke with a human voice. It tried to stop the prophet from doing a very dumb thing.