Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.

Who is a wise man? Who knows what the events in life mean? Wisdom in a man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 I counsel thee: keep the king's command, and that in regard of the oath of God.

I advise you to obey the king's command because of God's oath to protect him.

3 Be not hasty to go out of his presence; stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

Do not hurry out of his presence, and do not stand in support of something wrong, for the king does whatever he desires.

4 Forasmuch as the king's word hath power; and who may say unto him: 'What doest thou?'

The king's word rules, so who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth time and judgment.

Whoever keeps the king's commands avoids harm. A wise man's heart recognizes the proper course and time of action.

6 For to every matter there is a time and judgment; for the evil of man is great upon him.

For every matter there is a correct response and a time to respond, because the troubles of man are great.

7 For he knoweth not that which shall be; for even when it cometh to pass, who shall declare it unto him?

No one knows what is coming next. Who can tell him what is coming?

8 There is no man that hath power over the wind to retain the wind; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.

No one is ruler over his breath so as to stop the breath, and no one has power over the day of his death. No one is discharged from the army during a battle, and wickedness will not rescue those who are its slaves.

9 All this have I seen, even applied my heart thereto, whatever the work that is done under the sun; what time one man had power over another to his hurt.

I have realized all this; I have applied my heart to every kind of work that is done under the sun. There is a time when a person oppresses another person to that person's hurt.

10 And so I saw the wicked buried, and they entered into their rest; but they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city; this also is vanity.

So I saw the wicked buried publicly. They were taken from the holy area and buried and were praised by people in the city where they had done their wicked deeds. This also is uselessness.

11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil;

When a sentence against an evil crime is not executed quickly, it entices the hearts of human beings to do evil.

12 because a sinner doeth evil a hundred times, and prolongeth his days — though yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before Him;

Even though a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives a long time, yet I know that it will be better for those who respect God, for those who stand before him and show him respect.

13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.

But it will not go well for a wicked man; his life will not be prolonged. His days are like a fleeting shadow because he does not honor God.

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth: that there are righteous men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous — I said that this also is vanity.

There is another useless vapor—something else that is done on the earth. Things happen to righteous people as they happen to wicked people, and things happen to wicked people as they happen to righteous people. I say that this also is useless vapor.

15 So I commended mirth, that a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry, and that this should accompany him in his labour all the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.

So I recommend happiness, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and drink and to be happy. It is happiness that will accompany him in his labor for all the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth — for neither day nor night do men see sleep with their eyes —

When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to understand the work that is done on the earth, work often done without sleep for the eyes at night or in the day,

17 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

then I considered all of God's deeds, and that man cannot understand the work that is done under the sun. No matter how much a man labors to find the answers, he will not find them. Even though a wise man might believe he knows, he really does not.