Ecclesiastes 8:1–9

WISDOM, AUTHORITIES, AND INEQUITIES

8Who 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.^y

²Keep^C the king’s command because of your oath made before God.^{z 3}Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence,^aa 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?”^{ab 5}The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful,^ac and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. ⁶For every activity there is a right time and procedure,^ad even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him. ⁷Yet no one knows what will happen^ae because who can tell him what will happen? ⁸No one has authority over the wind^A to restrain it,^af and there is no authority over the day of death;^ag no one is discharged during 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 person has authority over another to his harm.