Ecclesiastes 8

Obey Rulers

1Who is like the wise person and who knows the meaning of a matter? A person’s wisdom 1illuminates his face and makes his 2stern face 3brighten up.

2I say, “Keep the 4command of the king because of the 5oath 6before God. 3Do not be in a hurry 78to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4Since the word of the king is authoritative, 9who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5One who 10keeps a royal command 11experiences no 12trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6For 13there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a person’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7If no one 14knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 815No one has authority over the wind to restrain the wind, nor authority over the day of death; and there is no military discharge in the time of war, and 16evil will not save 17those who practice it. 9All this I have seen, and have applied my 18mind to every deed that has been done under the sun at a time when one person has exercised 19authority over another person to his detriment.

10So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they are 20soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility. 11Because the 21sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore 22the hearts of the sons of mankind among them are 23fully given to do evil. 12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may 24lengthen his life, still I know that it will go 25well for those who fear God, who fear 26Him openly. 13But it will 27not go well for the evil person and he will not lengthen his days like a 28shadow, because he does not fear God.

14There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are 29righteous people to whom it 30happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are 31evil people to whom it 32happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for 33a person under the sun except to eat, drink, and be joyful, and this will stand by him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16When I 34devoted my 35mind to know wisdom and to see the business which has been done on the earth (even though one should 3637never sleep day or night), 17and I saw every work of God, I concluded that 38one cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though a person laboriously seeks, he will not discover; and 39even if the wise person claims to know, he cannot discover.