Ecc 8 | NASB1995 | STEP | Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter ? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam .

Ecclesiastes 8

Obey Rulers

1 Who 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.

2 I 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.” 4 Since the word of the king is authoritative, ^jwho will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 He who ^kkeeps a royal command ^lexperiences no ^{▼▼ Lit evil thing}trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6 For ⁿthere is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7 If 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. 9 All 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.

10 So 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. 11 Because 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. 12 Although 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. 13 But 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.

14 There 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. 15 So 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.

16 When 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), 17 and 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.