Ecclesiastes 8

1 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.

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

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

I pray thee, the commandment of a king keep, even for the sake of the oath of God.

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

Be not troubled at his presence, thou mayest go, stand not in an evil thing, for all that he pleaseth he doth.

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

Where the word of a king [is] power [is], and who saith to him, 'What dost thou?'

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

Whoso is keeping a command knoweth no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knoweth.

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

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

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

For he knoweth not that which shall be, for when it shall be who declareth to him?

8 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.

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 delivereth not its possessors.

9 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.

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

10 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.

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 also [is] vanity.

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.

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

12 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.

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

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

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

14 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.

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

15 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.

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 remaineth with him of his labour the days of his life that God hath given to him under the sun.

16 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),

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

17 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.

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