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Ecclesiastes 8
American Standard Version

8 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 [a]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 [b]purpose there is a time and judgment; because the [c]misery of man is great upon him: 7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; [d]for who can tell him how it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the [e]spirit to retain the [f]spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge [g]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: [h]there is a time wherein one man hath power over another [i]to his hurt. 10 So I saw the wicked buried, [j]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 [k]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: [l]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 [m]business that is done upon the earth [n](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.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Hebrew strength.
  2. Ecclesiastes 8:6 Or, matter
  3. Ecclesiastes 8:6 Or, evil
  4. Ecclesiastes 8:7 Or, for even when it cometh to pass, who shall declare it unto him?
  5. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or, wind
  6. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or, wind
  7. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or, in battle
  8. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or, what time one man had etc.
  9. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or, to his own hurt
  10. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Or, who had come and gone away from the holy place; and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. Or, and men came and went etc.
  11. Ecclesiastes 8:11 Or, emboldened
  12. Ecclesiastes 8:15 Or, and that this should accompany him
  13. Ecclesiastes 8:16 Or, travail
  14. Ecclesiastes 8:16 Or, how that neither by day nor by night do men see sleep with their eyes
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Ecclesiastes 8
New International Version

8 Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance.

Obey the King

2 Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(A) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(B)”

5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(C)
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

7 Since no one knows the future,
    who can tell someone else what is to come?
8 As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
    so[a] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
    so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[b] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(D)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[c] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(E) with those who fear God,(F) who are reverent before him.(G) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(H) it will not go well with them, and their days(I) will not lengthen like a shadow.

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(J) This too, I say, is meaningless.(K) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(L), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(M) and be glad.(N) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(O) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(P)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(Q) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
  2. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  3. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten
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Ecclesiastes 7
Ecclesiastes 9
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