Ecclesiastes 8

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 a wise person? Who knows what things really mean? Being wise makes a person's face light up. It softens a hard, stern look.

2I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

2Do what the king tells you to do. You made a promise to God about this.

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 up for a bad cause. The king does whatever he wants.

4Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

4The king's word is the strongest word there is. No one can ask 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 king's command will not be harmed. 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.

6Everything a person plans has a right time and a right way. Even so, trouble still weighs heavy on people.

7For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?

7No one knows what is going to happen. So no one can tell him when it will come.

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 catch the wind and hold it. No one can stop his own day of dying. No soldier gets to go home in the middle of a war. And doing evil will not set evil people free.

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 hard about everything people do under the sun. Sometimes one person rules over another and only hurts himself by it.

Note"Under the sun" is the Teacher's way of saying "here on earth, in this life." He uses it many times in this book.

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 saw bad people buried. They used to walk in and out of the holy place. Then they were forgotten in the very town where they did wrong. This too is empty.

Note"Vanity" in old English did not mean being stuck-up. It meant empty, like a puff of breath that is gone right away. Also, the old Hebrew here is hard to read: the King James Version says these people were "forgotten," while many newer Bibles say they were "praised."

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 a wrong deed is not punished quickly, people's hearts fill up with plans to do more 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 wrong a hundred times and still live a long life. Even so, I know it will go well for those who fear God and honor him.

Note"Fear God" here does not mean being scared of God. It means treating God with deep respect and honor.

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.

13It will not go well for people who do wrong. Their days will not stretch out long like a shadow. That is because they do 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 bad people should get. Bad people get what good people should get. I say 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 said that people should enjoy life. Under the sun there is nothing better than to eat, drink, and be glad. That joy stays with a person while he works. It lasts all the days God gives him under the sun.

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. I watched the work people do on the earth. Some people never sleep, not by day and not by 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 everything God does. No person can understand the work done under the sun. A person may try hard to figure it out. He still will not find the answer. Even a wise man who says he knows cannot really understand it.