Ecclesiastes8

Ecclesiastes 8 begins by extolling wisdom and counseling strict obedience to the king, whose power is absolute and whose command is to be kept due to an oath to God. The Preacher then reflects on the misery of man, who cannot know the future or escape death, and observes the vanity of delayed justice. He notes the perplexing reality where righteous and wicked often experience contrary outcomes, concluding that man cannot fully comprehend God's work.

Wisdom and Submission to Authority

1
Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? the wisedome of a man doth make his face to shine: and the strength of his face shalbe changed.
2
I aduertise thee to take heede to ye mouth of the King, and to the worde of the othe of God.
3
Haste not to goe forth of his sight: stand not in an euill thing: for he will doe whatsoeuer pleaseth him.
4
Where the word of ye King is, there is power, and who shall say vnto him, What doest thou?
5
He that keepeth the commandement, shall knowe none euill thing, and the heart of the wise shall knowe the time and iudgement.
6
For to euery purpose there is a time and iudgement, because the miserie of man is great vpon him.
7
For he knoweth not that which shalbe: for who can tell him when it shalbe?
8
Man is not lorde ouer the spirit to retaine the spirite: neither hath hee power in the day of death, nor deliuerance in the battell, neither shall wickednesse deliuer the possessers thereof.

The Injustice of Power

9
All this haue I seene, and haue giuen mine heart to euery worke, which is wrought vnder the sunne, and I sawe a time that man ruleth ouer man to his owne hurt.
10
And likewise I sawe the wicked buried, and they returned, and they that came from the holy place, were yet forgotten in the citie where they had done right: this also is vanitie.

Delayed Justice and the Rise of Evil

11
Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to doe euill.
12
Though a sinner doe euill an hundreth times, and God prolongeth his dayes, yet I knowe that it shalbe well with them that feare the Lord, and doe reuerence before him.
13
But it shall not be well to the wicked, neither shall he prolong his dayes: he shall be like a shadowe, because he feareth not before God.

The Frustrating Paradox of Life

14
There is a vanitie, which is done vpon the earth, that there be righteous men to whom it commeth according to the worke of the wicked: and there be wicked men to whom it commeth according to the worke of the iust: I thought also that this is vanitie.

Enjoyment as a Gift from God

15
And I praysed ioy: for there is no goodnesse to man vnder the sunne, saue to eate and to drinke and to reioyce: for this is adioyned to his labour, the dayes of his life that God hath giuen him vnder the sunne.

The Limits of Human Understanding

16
When I applied mine heart to knowe wisedome, and to behold the busines that is done on earth, that neither day nor night the eyes of man take sleepe,
17
Then I behelde the whole worke of God, that man cannot finde out ye worke that is wrought vnder the sunne: for the which man laboureth to seeke it, and cannot finde it: yea, and though the wise man thinke to knowe it, he cannot finde it.
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