Ecclesiastes 8
Obey Rulers
1Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom aillumines ▼▼ Lit his face
him and causes his cstern face to ▼▼ Or change
beam. 2I say, “Keep the ▼▼ Lit mouth
command of the king because of the foath ▼▼ Lit of
before God. 3“Do not be in a hurry ▼▼ Lit to go out from his presence
,
ito leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4Since the word of the king is authoritative, jwho will say to him, “What are you doing?” 5He who kkeeps a royal command lexperiences no ▼▼ Lit evil thing
trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6For nthere is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7If no one oknows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8 pNo 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 qevil will not deliver ▼▼ Lit its possessors
those who practice it. 9All this I have seen and applied my ▼▼ Lit heart
mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised tauthority over another man to his hurt. 10So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are u soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. 11Because the vsentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore wthe hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may xlengthen his life, still I know that it will be ywell for those who fear God, who fear ▼▼ Lit before Him
Him openly. 13But it will aanot be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a abshadow, because he does not fear God. 14There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are acrighteous men to whom it ▼▼ Lit strikes
happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are aeevil men to whom it ▼▼ Lit strikes
happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for aga man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his ▼▼ Lit labor
toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. 16When I aigave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should ▼▼ Lit see no sleep in his eyes
,
aknever sleep day or night), 17and I saw every work of God, I concluded that alman cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and amthough the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
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