Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 New King James Version
Obey Authorities for God’s Sake
8 Who is like a wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
(A)A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
And (B)the [a]sternness of his face is changed.
Obey Authorities for God’s Sake
2 I say, “Keep the king’s commandment (C)for the sake of your oath to God. 3 (D)Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power;
And (E)who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful;
And a wise man’s heart [b]discerns both time and judgment,
6 Because (F)for every matter there is a time and judgment,
Though the misery of man [c]increases greatly.
7 (G)For he does not know what will happen;
So who can tell him when it will occur?
8 (H)No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,
And no one has power in the day of death.
There is (I)no release from that war,
And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.
9 All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 8:1 Lit. strength
- Ecclesiastes 8:5 Lit. knows
- Ecclesiastes 8:6 is great upon him
Cross references
- Ecclesiastes 8:1 : Prov. 4:8, 9; Acts 6:15
- Ecclesiastes 8:1 : Deut. 28:50
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 : Ex. 22:11; 2 Sam. 21:7; 1 Chr. 29:24; Ezek. 17:18; [Rom. 13:5]
- Ecclesiastes 8:3 : Eccl. 10:4
- Ecclesiastes 8:4 : 1 Sam. 13:11, 13; Job 34:18
- Ecclesiastes 8:6 : Eccl. 3:1, 17
- Ecclesiastes 8:7 : Prov. 24:22; Eccl. 6:12
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 : Ps. 49:6, 7; Job 14:5
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 : Deut. 20:5–8
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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