Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is like the wise man, and who knoweth the explanation of a thing? A man's wisdom brighteneth his countenance, and the harshness 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 to keep the king's commandment, and that on account 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 in haste to depart from his presence; persist not in an evil thing; for whatever pleaseth him, that he doeth.

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

4 For the word of the king is powerful; and who can say to him, “What doest thou?”

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

5 He that keepeth the commandment shall experience no evil; and the heart of the wise man hath regard to 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 thing there is a time and judgment. For the misery 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 no one knoweth what shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

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

8 No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no man hath power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war; and wickedness shall not deliver those that are guilty of 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, and I have given heed to all things that are done under the sun. There is a time when man ruleth over man 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, while the righteous came and went 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 doth the heart of the sons of men become bold within 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 But though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and have his days prolonged, yet surely 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: he shall be like a shadow, and shall not prolong his days, 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 taketh place upon the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked, and that there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said, “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 Then I commended joy; because nothing is good for a man under the sun, except to eat and to drink and to be joyful; for it is this that abideth with him for his labor during the days of his life which God giveth 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 mind to know wisdom, and to see the business which is done upon the earth, —that one seeth no sleep with his eyes by day or by night, —

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 saw the whole work of God, that a man cannot comprehend that which is done under the sun; how much soever he labor to search it out, yet shall he not comprehend it; yea, though a wise man resolve to know it, yet shall he not be able to comprehend 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.