New American Standard Bible 1995

Ecclesiastes 8:1-8

1Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom 1illumines 2him and causes his 3stern face to 4beam.

2I say, “Keep the 5command of the king because of the 6oath 7before God. 3Do not be in a hurry 8 9to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4Since the word of the king is authoritative, 10who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5He who 11keeps a royal command 12experiences no 13trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6For 14there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7If no one 15knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8 16No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and 17evil will not deliver 18those who practice it.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 8

Notes

1. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Ex 34:29, 30 ↩
2. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Lit his face ↩
3. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Deut 28:50 ↩
4. Ecclesiastes 8:1 Or change ↩
5. Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit mouth ↩
6. Ecclesiastes 8:2 Ex 22:11; 2 Sam 21:7; Ezek 17:18 ↩
7. Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit of ↩
8. Ecclesiastes 8:3 Lit to go out from his presence ↩
9. Ecclesiastes 8:3 Eccl 10:4 ↩
10. Ecclesiastes 8:4 Job 9:12; Dan 4:35 ↩
11. Ecclesiastes 8:5 Eccl 12:13 ↩
12. Ecclesiastes 8:5 Prov 12:21 ↩
13. Ecclesiastes 8:5 Lit evil thing ↩
14. Ecclesiastes 8:6 Eccl 3:1, 17 ↩
15. Ecclesiastes 8:7 Eccl 3:22; 6:12; 7:14; 9:12 ↩
16. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Ps 49:7 ↩
17. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Eccl 8:13 ↩
18. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Lit its possessors ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 8