Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who [is] as the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 I [counsel]: keep the command of a king, even for the sake of an oath [to] God.

I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God.

3 Do not be troubled at his presence, you may go, do not stand in an evil thing, for all that he pleases he does.

Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,

4 Where the word of a king [is] power [is], and who says to him, “What do you do?”

for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 Whoever is keeping a command knows no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knows.

Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.

6 For to every delight there is a time and a judgment, for the misfortune of man is great on him.

For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.

7 For he does not know that which will be, for when it will be who declares to him?

For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?

8 There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness does not deliver its possessors.

There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.

9 All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that has been done under the sun; a time that man has ruled over man to his own evil.

All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.

10 And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This [is] also vanity.

So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.

11 Because sentence has not been done [on] an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil.

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.

12 Though a sinner is doing evil one hundred [times], and prolonging [himself] for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.

Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.

13 And good is not to the wicked, and he does not prolong days as a shadow, because he is not fearing before God.

But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.

14 There is a vanity that has been done on the earth, that there are righteous ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this [is] also vanity.

There is a vanity which is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 And I have praised mirth because there is no good to man under the sun except to eat and to drink, and to rejoice, and it remains with him of his labor the days of his life that God has given to him under the sun.

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that has been done on the earth (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (even though eyes see no sleep day or night),

17 then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that has been done under the sun, because though man labor to seek, yet he does not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.

then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.