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] as the wise [man]? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

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

I [counsel thee] to keep the king's commandment, and [that] in regard of the oath of 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 sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatever pleaseth him.

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

Where the word of a king [is], [there is] power: and who may say to 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.

He who keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

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

Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man [is] great 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 shall be: for who can tell him when it shall 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.

[There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither [hath he] power in the day of death: and [there is] no discharge in [that] war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to 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 applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: [there is] a time in which one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

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.

And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this [is] also 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 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 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.

Though a sinner doeth evil a hundred times, and his [days] are prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with them that fear God, who fear before 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.

But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before 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 just [men], to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked [men], to whom it happeneth according to the work 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.

Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God giveth 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 business that is done upon the earth: (for also [there is that] neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes: )

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 I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man may labor to seek [it] out, yet he shall not find [it]; yes further; though a wise [man] thinketh to know [it], yet shall he not be able to find [it].