Ecclesiastes 8
8
Wisdom, Authorities, and Inequities
1Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed. # Dt 28:50
2Keep # Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg, Syr; other Hb mss read I, keep the king’s command because of your oath made before God. # Ex 22:11; 2Sm 21:7; Ezk 17:18 3Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, # Ec 10:4 and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. 4For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing? ” # Jb 9:12; Dn 4:35 5The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, # Rm 13:3 and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. 6For every activity there is a right time and procedure, # Ec 3:1,17 even though man’s troubles are heavy on him. 7Yet no one knows what will happen # Ec 3:22; 6:12; 9:12; 10:14 because who can tell him what will happen? 8No one has authority over the wind # Or life-breath to restrain it, # Ps 148:8; Pr 30:4; Mk 4:39 and there is no authority over the day of death; # Jn 10:18; 2Tm 1:10 there is no furlough in battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. 9All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one man has authority over another to his harm.
10In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, # Ec 9:5 and they were praised # Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Theod, Sym; other Hb mss read forgotten in the city where they did so. This too is futile. 11Because the sentence against a criminal act is not carried out quickly, # Rm 2:4; 2Pt 3:9 the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit crime. 12Although a sinner commits crime a hundred times and prolongs his life, # Ec 7:15 yet I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, # Dt 12:25; Ps 37:11; Pr 1:33; Is 3:10 for they are reverent before Him. 13However, it will not go well with the wicked, # Is 3:11 and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, # Jb 14:2; Ec 6:12 for they are not reverent before God.
14There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, # Ec 7:15 and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. # Jb 21:7; Ps 73:3; Jr 12:1 I say that this too is futile. 15So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, # Ec 2:24 for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
16When I applied my mind to know wisdom # Ec 1:13-14 and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), 17I observed all the work of God and concluded that man is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a man labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; # Ec 3:11; 7:25-29; 11:5 even if the wise man claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.
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Ecclesiastes 8: HCSB
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Ecclesiastes 8
8
1Who is like a wise person?
Who knows how to explain things?
A person’s wisdom makes their face bright.
It softens the look on their face.
Obey the King
2I’m telling you to obey the king’s command. You promised to serve him. You made a promise to God. 3Don’t be in a hurry to quit your job in the palace. Don’t stand up for something the king doesn’t like. He’ll do anything he wants to. 4The king has the final word. So who can ask him, “What are you doing?”
5No one who obeys his command will be harmed.
Those who are wise will know the proper time and way to approach him.
6There’s a proper time and way for people to do everything.
That’s true even though a person might be suffering greatly.
7No one knows what lies ahead.
So who can tell someone else what’s going to happen?
8No one can stop the wind from blowing.
And no one has the power to decide when they will die.
No one is let out of the army in times of war.
And evil won’t let go of those who practice it.
9I understood all these things. I used my mind to study everything that’s done on earth. A man sometimes makes life hard for others. But he ends up hurting himself. 10I also saw sinful people being buried. They used to come and go from the place of worship. And others praised them in the city where they worshiped. That doesn’t have any meaning either.
11Sometimes the sentence for a crime isn’t carried out quickly. So people make plans to commit even more crimes. 12An evil person may be guilty of a hundred crimes. Yet they may still live a long time. But I know that things will go better with those who have great respect for God. 13Sinful people don’t respect God. So things won’t go well with them. Like a shadow, they won’t be around very long.
14Here’s something else on this earth that doesn’t have any meaning. Sometimes godly people get what sinful people should receive. And sinful people get what godly people should receive. Here’s what I’m telling you. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 15So I advise everyone to enjoy life. A person on this earth can’t do anything better than eat and drink and be glad. Then they will enjoy their work. They’ll be happy all the days of the life God has given them on earth.
16I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. I wanted to observe the hard work people do on earth. They don’t close their eyes and go to sleep day or night. 17I saw everything God has done. No one can understand what happens on earth. People might try very hard to figure it out. But they still can’t discover what it all means. Wise people might claim they know. But they can’t really understand it either.
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