Ecclesiastes
Chapter 8
The Teacher gives advice about living under a king, whose word carries power and cannot be questioned. He then admits how little anyone controls: no one holds onto life, no one knows the future, and punishment for wrong often comes late or never. He sees good people getting what the wicked deserve and wicked people getting what the good deserve, calls it empty, and again says the best thing is to eat, drink, and be glad in the work God gives. The chapter ends by saying no one, not even the wise, can figure out everything God does.
Plain reading written for preteens. Clear and complete, at about a fifth grade reading level.
Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
1Who is like the wise man? Who knows what things mean? Wisdom lights up a person's face and softens a hard look.
2I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
2I tell you to obey the king's command, because you made a promise before God.
3Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
3Do not rush away from the king. Do not keep standing behind a bad cause, for he does whatever he pleases.
4Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
4A king's word carries power. Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
5Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
5Whoever obeys the command will come to no harm. A wise heart knows the right time and the right way.
6Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
6There is a right time and a right way for everything a person plans. Even so, trouble weighs heavily on people.
7For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
7No one knows what is coming. So who can tell him when it will happen?
8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
8No one can hold on to the breath of life, and no one controls the day of death. No soldier is let go in wartime, and evil will not release the people who do it.
"There is no discharge in that war" means a soldier cannot be let go from duty in the middle of a battle. "Spirit" here means the breath of life.
9All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
9I saw all this. I thought carefully about every deed done under the sun. Sometimes one person rules over another and only harms himself by it.
10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
10I also saw wicked men buried. They used to come and go from the holy place, and they were forgotten in the very city where they did wrong. This too is empty.
"Vanity" in this book does not mean being proud. It means empty, like a puff of breath you cannot hold on to.
11Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
11When the punishment for a crime is not carried out quickly, people set their hearts even harder on doing wrong.
12Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
12A sinner may do evil a hundred times and still live a long life. Even so, I know it will go well for those who honor God and stand in awe before him.
To "fear God" means to hold him in deep respect and awe, not to be scared of him.
13But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
13But it will not go well for the wicked. His days are like a shadow and will not stretch out long, because he does not honor God.
14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.
14Here is something empty that happens on earth. Good people get what the wicked deserve, and wicked people get what the good deserve. I said this too is empty.
15Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
15So I praised enjoying life. Under the sun there is nothing better than to eat, drink, and be glad. That joy stays with a person in his work, through the days God gives him.
16When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)
16I set my mind to learn wisdom and to watch the work people do on earth. Some of them never close their eyes in sleep, day or night.
17Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
17Then I looked at all the work God does. No one can understand what is done under the sun. A person may search hard and still not find it. Even a wise man who claims to know cannot understand it.
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