New American Standard Bible 2020

Ecclesiastes 8:1-8

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 7 8to 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? 8 15No 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.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 8

Notes

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

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 8