Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.

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.

2 I [say], Keep the king's commandment, and [that] on account of the oath of God.

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

3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatever pleaseth him,

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

4 because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

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

5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.

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

6 For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;

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

7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

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

8 There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

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.

9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.

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.

10 And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from [the] holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.

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.

11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.

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

12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;

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.

13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.

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.

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous [men] unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked [men] to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

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.

15 And I commended mirth, because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.

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.

16 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),

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),

17 then I saw that all [is] the work of God, [and] that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek [it] out, yet doth he not find [it]; and even, if a wise [man] think to know [it], he shall not be able to find [it] out.

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.