Chapter 8

Obey Rulers

1 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom aillumines 1him and causes his bstern face to 2beam.

2 I say, “Keep the 1command of the king because of the aoath 2before God.

3 “Do not be in a hurry 1ato leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.”

4 Since the word of the king is authoritative, awho will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 He who akeeps a royal command bexperiences no 1trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.

6 For athere is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.

7 If no one aknows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?

8 aNo man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and bevil will not deliver 1those who practice it.

9 All this I have seen and applied my 1mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised aauthority over another man to his hurt.

10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are asoon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.

11 Because the asentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore bthe hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may alengthen his life, still I know that it will be bwell for those who fear God, who fear 1Him openly.

13 But it will anot be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a bshadow, because he does not fear God.

14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are arighteous men to whom it 1happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are bevil men to whom it 1happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.

15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for aa man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his 1toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 When I agave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should 1bnever sleep day or night),

17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that aman cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and bthough the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.