Ecclesiastes 8

1 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.

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

Keep the king's command, because of the oath to God.

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

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

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

for the king's word is supreme. Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 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.

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 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.

All this have I 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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and 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 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,

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night sees sleep with his eyes),

17 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.

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.