Wisdom, Authorities, and Inequities

Ecclesiastes 8   

1 Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed. c

2 Keep K the king’s command because of your oath made before God. d 3 Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, e and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. 4 For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing? ” f 5 The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, g and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. 6 For every activity there is a right time and procedure, h even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him. 7 Yet no one knows what will happen i because who can tell him what will happen? 8 No one has authority over the wind L to restrain it, j and there is no authority over the day of death; k no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. 9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.

10 In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, l and they were praised M in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. 11 Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, m the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, n I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, o for they are reverent before him. 13 However, it will not go well with the wicked, p and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, q for they are not reverent before God.

14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, r and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. s I say that this too is futile. 15 So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, t for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom u and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), 17 I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; v even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.