Ecclesiastes 7:29–8:9

²⁹Look! This alone I found: God made mankind upright, but they have devised many schemes.”

Wisdom is Valuable

8Who is like the sage?

Who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,

and the hardness of his face is changed.

²Keep the command of the king^a

because of your oath to God.^b

³Do not be terrified of his presence!

Go at once and do not delay when a matter is unpleasant,

for he can do anything that he desires.

⁴Since the word of the king is supreme,

no one can say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵Whoever obeys his command will not suffer disaster.

The wise mind knows the proper time and the right procedure.

⁶For there is a proper time and right procedure for every matter,

even though the trouble of man weighs heavy upon him.

No One Knows the Future

⁷Surely no one knows what will be,

so who can tell anyone what will happen?

⁸Just as no one can control the wind to restrain the wind,

so also no one can control the day of his death.

Just as no one is discharged in time of war,

so wickedness will not deliver the wicked.

The World Marred by Oppression and Injustice

⁹I saw all this as I applied my heart to all the deeds done under the sun: sometimes those in authority harm others.^c