Ecclesiastes 8

Who knows the wise? And who knows the solution of a matter? A man's wisdom will make his face shine, but he who is shameless in his face shall be hated.

Keep the king's mouth, and concerning the word of an oath of God do not be hasty.

You shall go from before his face; do not stand in an evil matter, for whatever he wills he will do.

As a king speaks, so he holds authority; and who shall say to him, 'What will you do?'

He who keeps a commandment will not know an evil thing, and the heart of the wise knows the time of judgment.

For to every matter there is a time and a judgment, for a man's knowledge is much upon him.

For there is no one who knows what is to be; for how it will be, who shall tell him?

There is no man who has authority over the spirit, to restrain the spirit; and there is no authority in the day of death; and there is no discharge in war; and ungodliness will not rescue the one who belongs to it.

And all this I saw, and I set my heart on every work that has been done under the sun, all the things in which man has held power over man to harm him.

And then I saw the ungodly brought into tombs, and they went out from a holy place, and they were praised in the city because they had done so. This also is vanity.

Because a rebuke against those who do evil is not made quickly, therefore the heart of the sons of man was fully bent within them to do evil.

He who sinned did evil from that time, and for a long while it was so with him; yet I also know that it shall be well with those who fear God, that they may fear before his face.

And it shall not be well with the ungodly, nor shall he prolong his days in a shadow, since he is not one who fears before the face of God.

There is a vanity that is done on the earth: that there are righteous ones to whom it comes according to the work of the ungodly, and there are ungodly to whom it comes according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

And I praised gladness, because there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be glad; and this will go along with him in his toil the days of his life which God gave him under the sun.

In these things I set my heart to know wisdom and to see the distraction that has been done on the earth; for both by day and by night there is one who sees no sleep in his eyes.

And I saw all the works of God, that a man will not be able to find out the work that has been done under the sun; however much a man toils to seek it, yet he will not find it; and even whatever the wise man says he knows, he will not be able to find it.