Obey Rulers

8 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom ^(A)illumines ^[a]him and causes his ^(B)stern face to ^[b]beam.

² I say, “Keep the ^[c]command of the king because of the ^(C)oath ^[d]before God. ³ Do not be in a hurry ^[e](D)to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” ⁴ Since the word of the king is authoritative, ^(E)who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵ He who ^(F)keeps a royal command ^(G)experiences no ^[f]trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. ⁶ For ^(H)there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. ⁷ If no one ^(I)knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? ^8 (J)No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and ^(K)evil will not deliver ^[g]those who practice it. ⁹ All this I have seen and applied my ^[h]mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised ^(L)authority over another man to his hurt.

¹⁰ So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are ^(M)soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. ¹¹ Because the ^(N)sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore ^(O)the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. ¹² Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may ^(P)lengthen his life, still I know that it will be ^(Q)well for those who fear God, who fear ^[i]Him openly. ¹³ But it will ^(R)not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a ^(S)shadow, because he does not fear God.

¹⁴ There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are ^(T)righteous men to whom it ^[j]happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are ^(U)evil men to whom it ^[k]happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. ¹⁵ So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for ^(V)a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his ^[l]toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

¹⁶ When I ^(W)gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should ^[m](X)never sleep day or night), ¹⁷ and I saw every work of God, I concluded that ^(Y)man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and ^(Z)though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.