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Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
New American Standard Bible 1995
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
New American Standard Bible 1995
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 8:1 Lit his face
- Ecclesiastes 8:1 Or change
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit mouth
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 Lit of
- Ecclesiastes 8:3 Lit to go out from his presence
- Ecclesiastes 8:5 Lit evil thing
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 Lit its possessors
- Ecclesiastes 8:9 Lit heart
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
New International Version
8 Who is like the wise?
Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
and changes its hard appearance.
Obey the King
2 Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(A) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(B)”
5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(C)
though a person may be weighed down by misery.
7 Since no one knows the future,
who can tell someone else what is to come?
8 As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
so[a] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[b] hurt.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
- Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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