Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is like the wise man? and to whom is the sense of anything clear? A man's wisdom makes his face shining, and his hard face will be changed.

Who is like the wise? and who knoweth [as well] the explanation of a thing? a man's wisdom enlighteneth his face, and the boldness of his face will be lessened.

2 I say to you, Keep the king's law, from respect for the oath of God.

I [counsel thee], Keep the king's command, and that which regardeth the oath [to him taken] by God.

3 Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.

Be not hasty to go out of his presence; engage not in an evil thing; for whatsoever pleaseth him, can he do;

4 The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?

Because the word of a king is powerful; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?—

5 Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.

Whoso keepeth the commandment will experience no evil thing: and a wise man's heart knoweth both time and the just consequence.

6 For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him.

Because for every pursuit there is a time and a just consequence; for the evil of man [resteth] heavily upon him.

7 No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?

For he knoweth not that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?

8 No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.

No man hath control over the spirit to detain the spirit; and there is no control over the day of death; and there is no representation in that war; and wickedness will not deliver those that practise it.

9 All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.

All this have I seen, and directed my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when one man ruleth over another to his own injury.

10 And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

Then also did I see the wicked buried, who had gone to their rest; but those who had acted correctly had to go away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. Also this is vanity.

11 Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.

Because the punishment against evil deeds is not executed speedily, therefore is the heart of the sons of men filled up in them to do evil.

12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life is long, I am certain that it will be well for those who go in fear of God and are in fear before him.

But let a sinner do evil a hundred times, and [God] withhold long his punishment from him; still do I truly know for certain that it will be well with those that fear God, because they are afraid of him;

13 But it will not be well for the evil-doer; he will not make his days long like a shade, because he has no fear before God.

And that it will not be well with the wicked, and that he will not endure many days, like the shadow; because he is not afraid of God.

14 There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men, unto whom it happeneth in accordance with the deeds of the wicked; again, there are wicked men, to whom it happeneth in accordance with the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 So I gave praise to joy, because there is nothing better for a man to do under the sun than to take meat and drink and be happy; for that will be with him in his work all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

Therefore do I praise joyfulness, that there is nothing better for man under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful; for this will adhere to him in his toil, during the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.—

16 When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the employment that is done upon the earth, how even neither by day nor by night sleep is seen in the eyes of some men:

17 Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.

Then did I see [in] the whole work of God, that a man is not able to find out the work that is done under the sun; inasmuch as though a man were to toil to seek for it, he would yet not find it; and even if the wise were to think to know it, he would yet not be able to find it.