Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
The wisdom of a man shineth in his countenance, and the most mighty will change his face.
2 Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.
I observe the mouth of the king, and the commandments of the oath of God.
3 Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.
Be not hasty to depart from his face, and do not continue in an evil work: for he will do all that pleaseth him:
4 For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
And his word is full of power: neither can any man say to him: Why dost thou so?
5 Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.
He that keepeth the commandments shall find no evil. The heart of a wise man understandeth time and answer.
6 For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.
There is a time and opportunity for every business, and great affliction for man:
7 Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?
Because he is ignorant of things past, and things to come he cannot know by any messenger.
8 As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
It is not in man’s power to stop the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, neither is he suffered to rest when war is at hand, neither shall wickedness save the wicked.
9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.
All these things I have considered, and applied my heart to all the works that are done under the sun. Sometimes one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
10 Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.
I saw the wicked buried: who also when they were yet living were in the holy place, and were praised in the city as men of just works: but this also is vanity.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
For because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the children of men commit evils without any fear.
12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
But though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and by patience be borne withal, I know from thence that it shall be well with them that fear God, who dread his face.
13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
But let it not be well with the wicked, neither let his days be prolonged, but as a shadow let them pass away that fear not the face of the Lord.
14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.
There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are just men to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the wicked: and there are wicked men, who are as secure, as though they had the deeds of the just: but this also I judge most vain.
15 So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
Therefore I commended mirth, because there was no good for a man under the sun, but to eat, and drink, and be merry, and that he should take nothing else with him of his labour in the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—
And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to understand the distraction that is upon earth: for there are some that day and night take no sleep with their eyes.
17 I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.
And I understood that man can find no reason of all those works of God that are done under the sun: and the more he shall labour to seek, so much the less shall he find: yea, though the wise man shall say, that he knoweth it, he shall not be able to find it.
