Ecclesiastes 8

Keep the Command of the King

Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom ^aillumines his face and causes his ^bstern face to ¹beam.
2 I say, “Keep the ¹command of the king because of the ^asworn oath ²before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry ^ato go from his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4 Since the word of the king is powerful, ^awho will say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 He who ^akeeps a royal command ^bexperiences no evil thing, for a wise heart knows the proper time and custom. 6 For ^athere is a proper time and custom for every ¹matter, though a man’s trouble is multiplied upon him. 7 If no one ^aknows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8 ^aThere is no man who has power to restrain the wind with the wind, and there is none who has power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and ^bwickedness will not provide escape to its masters. 9 All this I have seen and given my heart to every work that has been done under the sun wherein a man has ^apower over another man to his calamity.
10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are ^asoon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is vanity. 11 Because the ^asentence against an evil work is not executed quickly, therefore ^bthe hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may ^aprolong his life, still I know that it will be ^bwell for those who fear God, who fear ¹Him openly. 13 But it will ^anot be well for the wicked man, and he will not prolong his days like a ^bshadow, because he does not fear ¹God openly.
14 There is vanity which is done on the earth, that is, there are ^arighteous men to whom it ¹happens according to the works of the wicked. On the other hand, there are ^bwicked men to whom it ¹happens according to the works of the righteous. I say that this too is vanity. 15 So I laud gladness, for there is nothing good for ^aa man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to ¹be merry, and this will join with him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
16 When I ^agave my heart to know wisdom and to see the endeavor which has been done on the earth (even though one ^bnever sees sleep with his eyes day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that ^aman cannot find out the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not find it out; and ^bthough the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot find it out.

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