Ecclesiastes 8

Obey the King

1 Who is like the wise, Who knows how to explain things, Wisdom brightens your face and softens your hardness.

2 Obey the king’s command because you made an oath before God.

3 Do not rush out of his presence or support a bad cause, he does whatever he wants.

4 A king’s word carries power, who dares ask, “What are you doing?”

5 Whoever obeys will not be harmed; the wise know the proper time and procedure.

6 For every matter there is a time and a way, though misery weighs on man.

7 No one knows what is coming, and no one can control what happens next.

8 No one controls the wind or holds back their spirit; no one escapes the day of death.

The Injustice of Life

9 I saw all this as I reflected on everything done under the sun, how people rule over others to their hurt.

10 I saw the wicked buried, once honored in the city where they did wrong, but soon forgotten. That too is meaningless.

11 When justice delayed, people’s hearts fill up with schemes to do evil.

12 A sinner may do evil a hundred times and live long, but I know it will go well for those who fear God.

13 But not for the wicked, their days like shadows because they do not fear God.

14 There is something meaningless that happens: righteous people get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked get what the righteous deserve.

Enjoy Life Despite Its Mystery

15 So I say, enjoy life, eat, drink, and be glad, for that is what God gives you in your short life under the sun.

16 When I tried to understand all this, the work of God, no one can comprehend it.

17 No matter how hard they look, people cannot figure it all out. Even the wise cannot fully understand God’s plan.