Ecclesiastes 8

1Who is as the wiseH2450 manH120? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thingH1697? A man’sH120 wisdomH2451 maketh his faceH6440 to shineH215, and the hardness of his faceH6440 is changed. 2I counsel thee, KeepH8104 the king’sH4428 command, and that in regard of the oathH7621 of GodH430. 3Be not hasty to go out of his presenceH6440; persist not in an evilH7451 thingH1697: for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4For the king’sH4428 wordH1697 hath power; and who may sayH559 unto him, What doest thou? 5Whoso keepeth the commandmentH4687 shall knowH3045 no evilH7451 thingH1697; and a wiseH2450 man’s heartH3820 discerneth timeH6256 and judgmentH4941: 6for to every purpose there is a timeH6256 and judgmentH4941; because the misery of manH120 is greatH7227 upon him: 7for he knoweth not that which shall beH1961; for who can tellH5046 him howH4100 it shall beH1961? 8There is no manH120 that hath power over the spiritH7307 to retain the spiritH7307; neither hath he power over the dayH3117 of deathH4194; and there is no discharge in warH4421: neither shall wickednessH7562 deliverH4422 him that is given to it.

9All this have I seenH7200, and applied my heartH3820 unto every workH4639 that is done under the sunH8121: there is a timeH6256 wherein oneH2088 manH120 hath power over another to his hurt. 10So I sawH7200 the wickedH7563 buriedH6912, and they cameH935 to the grave; and they that had done rightH3651 wentH1980 away from the holyH6918 placeH4725, and were forgottenH7911 in the cityH5892: this alsoH1571 is vanityH1892. 11Because sentence against an evilH7451 workH4639 is not executed speedily, thereforeH3651 the heartH3820 of the sonsH1121 of menH120 is fully set in them to do evilH7451. 12Though a sinnerH2398 do evilH7451 a hundredH3967 times, and prolongH748 his days, yet surely I knowH3045 that it shall beH1961 wellH1571 with them that fearH3372 GodH430, that fearH3372 before him: 13but it shall not beH1961 well with the wickedH7563, neither shall he prolongH748 his daysH3117, which are as a shadowH6738; because he feareth not before GodH430.

14There is a vanityH1892 which is done upon the earthH776, that there are righteousH6662 men unto whom it happeneth according to the workH4639 of the wickedH7563; again, there are wickedH7563 men to whom it happeneth according to the workH4639 of the righteousH6662: I saidH559 that this alsoH1571 is vanityH1892. 15Then I commended mirth, because a manH120 hath no betterH2896 thing under the sunH8121, than to eatH398, and to drinkH8354, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his laborH5999 all the daysH3117 of his life which GodH430 hath givenH5414 him under the sunH8121.

16When I applied my heartH3820 to knowH3045 wisdomH2451, and to seeH7200 the business that is done upon the earthH776 (for alsoH1571 there is that neither dayH3117 nor nightH3915 seeth sleepH8142 with his eyesH5869), 17then I beheld all the workH4639 of GodH430, that manH120 cannot findH4672 out the workH4639 that is done under the sunH8121: because however much a manH120 labor to seekH1245 it out, yet he shall not findH4672 it; yea moreover, though a wiseH2450 manH120 think to knowH3045 it, yet shall he not be ableH3201 to findH4672 it.