Ecclesiastes 8

1 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 hardness of his face is changed.2 I counsel thee, Keep the king’s command, and that in regard of the oath of God.3 Be not hasty to go out of his presence; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.4 For the king’s word hath power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man’s heart discerneth time and judgment:6 for to every purpose there is a time and judgment; because the misery of man is great upon him:7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt.10 So I saw the wicked buried, and they came to the grave; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: 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.12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him:13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not 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; again, there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor all the days of his life which God hath given 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),17 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes 8

Chapter 8

1 How wonderful to be wise,
to analyze and interpret things.
Wisdom lights up a person’s face,
softening its harshness.

Obedience to the King

2 Obey the king since you vowed to God that you would.3 Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants.4 His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it.5 Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right,

6 for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.
7 Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen?

8 None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.

The Wicked and the Righteous

9 I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other.10 I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praisedt in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless.11 When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.12 But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off.

13 The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.

14 And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!

15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.
16 In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night.

17 I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.