Ecclesiastes 8

¹Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.

²I [say], Keep the king's commandment, and [that] on account of the oath of God.

³Be not hasty to go out of his sight; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatever pleaseth him,

⁴because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

⁵Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.

⁶For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;

⁷for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?

⁸There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

⁹All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.

¹⁰And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from [the] holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.

¹¹Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.

¹²Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;